Questions Without Answers
by FallinApart
Summary: In a city where solving crimes is not the highest priority of the police force, what will happen when a curious intern and an even more curious forensic scientist are frequently left behind at Gotham PD with an abundance of case files and bad bookkeeping? An unusual relationship that defies definition ensues.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello, readers. _It's been quite a while since I've posted anything, but with Gotham coming on, my inner muse was struck once more. Feel free to leave comments, concerns, ect. However, do be courteous and refrain from being rude. I'll try my best to keep everyone in character, but there really isn't a ton to go off of yet. This is also un-betaed so I apologize for any errors or grammar mistakes. Thank you, and enjoy!**

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><p><em>When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing.<em>

The soft pattering of raindrops on the windowpane made for the perfect atmosphere for sleeping, the girl thought drowsily, burrowing her face further into her pillow, and clutching her blankets more tightly around her form. She groaned pleasantly as she rolled over to check just how much time left until her alarm clock was to wake her.

"_Shit," _she gasped, haphazardly throwing the blankets off of her and staring at her clock in disbelief as it read _8:39._ She hit it to check what it had been set for.

_7:30…..PM_

"Lord, have mercy," she muttered, leaping out of her bed and tripping over a sweatshirt on the ground. She snatched her toothbrush and simultaneously began aggressively brushing her teeth and hopping on one foot to get her dress pants on. Her elbow wacked into the towel rack by the sink, and she cursed under her breath, her toothbrush falling back into its cup with a light _ding_.

She had to be at the Gotham P.D. at 9, and she barely had enough time to catch a bus. She snatched her collared blouse from the rack and fumbled with the buttons until she looked vaguely presentable. Her hair fell into a messy halo of tangled dirty blond curls around her face and she sighed, stuffing it all into what she hoped would seem like a fashionable messy bun, but truly it was all she could salvage.

"Great first impression, Bree…._really _nailed this one," she muttered to herself, throwing on makeup beneath and round her stupidly large hazel eyes to hide her late night of Netflix and homework. _Warpaint, check._

She stuffed all her necessities in a bag and sprinted out the door of her mediocre-grade apartment. It really wasn't so bad, she supposed, considering they gave Gotham University students discount rates for their housing. She was desperate for any kind of discount, considering graduate school was anything but cheap. On top of that, this internship wasn't looking so great for pay either.

_At least I'm getting paid at all._ She mused, sitting on the bus and staring out the window at all the commuters rushing to their respective jobs. She anxiously wrung out her hands in her lap.

When her stop finally came, she flew out the door and swiftly darted down the walkway. The constant drizzle of rain shot a chill through her, and she hugged her dark jacket closer to her frame. She glanced at her watch as she ran up the steps of GCPD and pushed through the doors.

_9:05_.

Not bad, all things considering, but not great. Her heart was still racing, but she allowed a façade of calmness to take over as she approached one of the front desks.

It was difficult not to be overwhelmed in the large, but busy station. A steady hum of conversation filled the main room.

"Excuse me," she said, resting her palm on the large wooden front desk. The woman at the desk with short dark hair didn't even bother looking up. Bree bit her lip and continued.

"Hi, my name is Brianna Taylor. I have an internship here….I was told to report here at nine," the woman still didn't even look up, but she flipped a page in a book she was reading.

"It's my first day….do you—"

"Report to Captain Essen. She'll be in the third office to your right," the dark haired woman spoke up.

"Thanks," Bree said, her eyes flickering to the row of offices. She took a deep breath, turning on her heel and stepping out into the marble walkway. She glanced back while stepping around the desk and collided into something with a big _oophff._

"Careful!" a voice chimed from slightly above her, and she realized that she had run into someone, her head running smack into their chest.

"I'm so sorry!" she yelped, turning to face him with wide eyes. "I wasn't really paying attention where I was walking," she admitted with an apologetic smile. She glanced over and met this dark eyes and tight smile.

"It's quite fine, just wouldn't want to drop _this_," he said, flourishing a small bag labeled _EVIDENCE _.

"Oh….yeah, that looks important," she said with a small smile, trying to shuffle around him, but he just stood still, smiling politely.

"Ed! Show us what you got!" a gruff voice rang out from across the room. The tall man in the suit snapped out of his stationary position and hurried over to where two men were standing, talking.

Bree chuckled quietly to herself at the awkwardness of the entire morning as she knocked on the Captain's door.

The woman looked up, and motioned her in.

Bree walked in and smiled politely at her, extending her hand.

"Hello, I'm Bria—"

"Brianna Taylor, yes, I am aware. Please, have a seat," the woman shook her hand and gestured to the chair.

"My name is Captain Essen. So I hear you're a grad student from GU, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bree nodded, hands folded nervously in her lap, "criminology and psychology."

Essen smiled, "Very good, well I do have to say, Ms. Taylor, you won't be seeing much of the action here. You will do mostly filing paperwork and running errands that most of us are too busy to do."

Bree groaned inwardly, but nodded politely, seeing as she had expected as much.

"Now, you are likely to float around the department at times, but we do have a few officers and detectives who are worse at the paperwork aspect of their jobs than usual, so you will be assisting them the most. I'd like you to sort a few of these potential witness accounts today. There should be an open desk up the stairs to the far left, by the forensics lab, but feel free to work at any open space. I'd like to get these done by the afternoon. Are you good?"

She nodded her head.

"Very well, good luck," Essen said, handing her a daunting stack of papers. Bree smiled half-heartedly and grabbed the door with her foot.

"Here we go…" she muttered into the tall stack of papers, making her way to the rumored desk up the stairs. Sure enough, she found it. It was a rickety wooden thing, stuffed in the far corner next to a small window, but at least she had a half-dead fern to keep her company.

She hummed quietly to herself as she flicked through the papers, considering listening to her ipod, but liking the prospect of people watching more. She was drawn from her thoughts by movement in the corner of her eye. She glanced over and realized the odd man in the suit from before was coming out of the nearest doorway to her desk.

_The forensics lab. _She observed, _well that makes a lot more sense._

She noticed his eyes flicker towards her, and she quickly looked away, despite knowing it was too late. He had definitely seen her staring. She pretended to be incredibly intrigued by the paper as she noticed him approaching the desk.

"What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?" the man piped up, tapping the desk.

"Sorry, come again?" she looked up, more than a little confused.

"I said, what belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?" he repeated, his grin never faltering.

She furrowed her brow briefly, and looked back up at him, resting her chin on her hand.

"Your name?" she offered, biting her lip slightly.

"Correct! Which I don't believe I caught yours," he said, his eyes practically gleaming with pride at his own setup.

She resisted the urge to laugh at his absurd set up just to ask her name, but she smiled genuinely and stood up, extending her hand.

"Ahhh…Brianna Taylor, but please, just call me Bree," she offered as he hesitantly shook her hand.

"Edward Nygma, but call me Ed if you like," he grinned, "I work forensics. I haven't really seen you around here and I at least know every face."

"Intern, I am afraid, it's my first day, so that would make sense." Bree shrugged, smoothing out her dress pants.

Ed nodded, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses.

"Well, I better be off then. _Things_ to analyze, evidence to sort," he slid his hands into his pant pockets. "See you around, _Breeeee_," he chuckled as he began to step back, running into the corner of the wall behind him. She started to laugh, but immediately stopped herself as his grin faded to a frown.

"That's been happening to me all morning. It's just one of those days," she smiled, sitting back down at the rickety desk. He raised his brows, slightly surprised by her reaction, but returned a much smaller smile as he turned and left.

Bree found herself shaking her head and laughing inwardly to herself at the hilarity of their interactions. Ed seemed like a nice guy, if not a bit awkward, but so was she. At least now she had a somewhat friendly face to talk to at GCPD. God knows she'd need it, she sighed, filing through the stack of files.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, so I'm just going to try to roughly mirror the events of each new episode every week and work it from there. This is during "Selena Kyle" but that it will span two chapters. Also, I honestly have no clue what they're going to play around with in Eddy's backstory. I only have what little we have been given in these past two episodes, and my understanding of the Riddler later, so let's see how that goes! Sorry for the wait. Enjoy, dear readers, and reviews are wonderful.**

Fresh coffee rings began to form on the rickety old desk. The fern began to look a little less dead. Bree seemed to be less than a minute away from banging her head on her desk to put herself out of her misery, but decided against it, considering her dry cleaning was ready at 3.

She sighed and pushed another stack of sorted papers to the edge of her desk. If she had learned anything about GCPD in the past week working there, if would be that they were horrible at paperwork. That and they all drank way too much coffee. She had already made two coffee runs in the past five hours for the same few staff that were aware of her existence. She took another long sip of her own espresso, and decided to stretch her legs and take the finished stack of paperwork down to the most recent detective she had been assigned to, a man named Harvey Bullock. Apparently, the man hadn't filed his own reports in quite a while. Bree certainly was under the impression that she technically wasn't even qualified to do some on the work, but it was all "off the record".

Dodging a few bustling employees, she hurried down the stairs. She swung around the corner, heading to where she now knew his desk was, and not at all to her surprise, he was not there.

She sighed, plopping the folders onto his desk. He probably would never even glance at them.

The sheer number of open cases amazed her. Whenever she asked about them, she was told to just leave it. She had heard the police were corrupt, but she hadn't known just how many crimes were reported and uninvestigated for whatever reason.

She made her way back to her tiny work station, climbing back up the same staircase she had seen far too much of in the past week. She ran a hand through her messy hair and looked up when she saw a familiar face walking through the doorway of the forensics lab.

"How's it going, Ed?" she asked tiredly. He glanced up from the file he had been examining, his brows raised as if he wasn't used to the question. After a moment, he returned her smile, lowering the file.

"You know that homeless kid that was brought in this morning?"

She nodded, remembering very well Detective Bullock yelling this morning. Well, he always seemed to be yelling at something, but this one was the event of the day.

"Well, I took a blood sample from him, and I found something odd. A compound my systems are having a hard time identifying."

"That's strange…" she said, furrowing her brows, and waiving him toward her desk. He followed, grinning excitedly.

"Exactly! It looks like some sort of sedative…perhaps even a tranquilizer. It's certainly fast-acting and very powerful. I was just considering looking into local animal control methods," he folded the file beneath his arm and adjusted his glasses.

"What about a hospital?" Bree asked, not really sure why she was bothering trying to help.

"I considered that! However, its effects aren't long lasting enough to put someone out long enough for surgery," he waved his arm, leaning against her desk as she plopped down in the seat, deciding to completely blow off the remainder of the case files on her desk.

"Okay….well, what if the patients were a little rowdy, like in a—"

"Mental institution….that's it!" he said, snapping his fingers, "I'll check the databases of the main mental institutions in and around Gotham," he said, pushing off the desk and began walking back to the lab.

"What about Arkham?" she asked suddenly, causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned back and looked at her, his head tilted slightly. She bit her lip, his sudden focus a bit unnerving.

"It's been closed for over ten years….do you think it may have a lead?"

"I don't know, but it would definitely be worth a look," Bree shrugged.

"I'm on it!" Ed smiled, his usual excitement returning, and he hurried off to his desk. Bree couldn't help but to grin.

_Everyone else is just a hard-ass around here._

She turned back to the stack of files on her desk. The rest she had to do today were only cold cases she had to archive. Lightly, she brushed her fingers over the top one. She could go ask for something more to do, but she really was just content with skimming through the content of the old cases. They were like old narratives without an end. She considered beginning the alphabetizing process, but paused as she grasped the edge of the folder.

She opened the cover and began to read.

An hour or two later, Bree walked up the familiar staircase to her workspace, her energy sparked anew by lunch and a strong cup of coffee.

To her surprise, she saw Edward hanging around her desk, looking around somewhat anxiously. Their eyes met and he hurried over to her.

"We have a bit of a problem," he began. Bree blinked a few times.

"Whoa, there, am I the designated advice giver now?" she teased, moving towards her desk, knowing he followed along. He really was like a little puppy.

"No….well you're sorta the only one willing to bounce ideas around with me," he said quietly, his grin fading somewhat and he nodded slightly as he looked down. Bree faltered a moment, frowning as she realized how lame her joke really was.

"Hey, it's fine. What do you have?" she shook her head and craned her head to met his dark eyes as he looked back up.

"Ah, but it's more of what _don't_ we have," he smirked, handing her a few papers. She grabbed them, flicking through what mostly registered to her as gibberish.

"Sorry, Ed, I don't follow," she said, finishing looking at the papers and handing them back.

"I searched through the databases of all local hospitals and mental institutions within a hundred miles, isolating which drugs worked in the same method as our mystery drug. Then I took those, and compared the structure of the compounds to that of the mystery drug. Guess what I found."

"What?" she countered, not feeling like taking the time to guess, much to his disappointment.

"_Nothing_. There were no matches in the databases I searched, but what else is missing there?" he leaned forward with a sly grin.

"Arkham wasn't part of the list," she concluded, furrowing her brows and looking back at the stack of papers in his hand, none of which bore the Arkham insignia. "Why not?"

"Arkham was shut down over ten years ago now, and it was active long before that. They never shifted to digital filing, and _supposedly_, they're still in there," Ed finished.

"Why didn't they take them out?" she asked.

"No one cared to. A few of them were for record purposes, but the asylum was mostly filled with undesirables and other risks to society. No one felt the need to search their medical records beyond the stigmatic stamp of _insanity_," he shrugged.

"Hmmm…so what now?"

"Oh, we can do nothing. Without knowing what compound was in that kid's system they're not going to bother investigating further into it. I guarantee you that they will mark it off as another homeless teen drug addict."

"But _you _don't believe that, do you?" Bree pressed, folding her arms across her chest. He narrowed his eyes slightly as they flickered across her features. "And there is the whole disappearing street children thing. It all sounds a bit sketchy," she added.

"It doesn't matter what I think…" he spun around, leaning on her desk, and clicking his tongue, "But theoretically…if it did, I'd say that chemical compound shows little promise for recreational use," he said, tilting his head slightly as he glanced at her.

"So, if you can find out what this drug is, you think they can find the missing kids."

"I never said anything of the sort," he retorted.

"No, but it was written all over your face," she quipped. He looked at her in surprise for a moment, and then he looked away and allowed a large grin to spread over his lips. He chuckled quietly.

"Alright then, Ms. Taylor, what do you propose? We go break into the Asylum and steal the old medical records?" he laughed, looking out the small window. When he turned back to face her, a smirk had surfaced on her lips and she gave a subtle wink.

"You can't be serious."

* * *

><p>"You know, I had you pegged as the mild mannered intern, not whatever this is," Ed said more to himself than to her as he turned the wheel of his simple, old, tan town car. He glanced over as Bree snorted a short laugh from the passenger seat, biting her nails slightly as she looked out the window at the grey overcast sky.<p>

"Yeah, well, you don't really know me too well," she muttered into her hand. Ed raised his brows and adjusted his glasses.

"Well, neither do you. I could be anyone," Ed said quietly. Bree smiled.

"I suppose that makes two of us then. I really usually don't do stuff like this. I'm just running off an adventurous spark and hoping you're not a serial killer," Bree said, turning her head back to him with a mischievous grin.

"And I, the same," Edward chuckled, turning off the main road into a secluded back road to Arkham.

"Oh, well that would be me," Bree reached into her bag and pulled out a small protective case, "mild mannered intern by day, secret ninja assassin by night."

"How very reassuring," he quipped as he whipped the car behind a bush. From that location, it couldn't be seen from any angle. Ed had briefly mentioned something about memorizing Arkham's layout, but she hadn't realized he had been serious when he said he considered every step and escape route.

_He's a little too good at this. _Bree mused, her eyes roaming over his pointed features as he parked the car. Other than schematics though, he seemed almost as uncomfortable as she felt.

"Follow my lead, there should be a pathway that winds itself up to the main island," Edward began, adjusting his glasses before examining her with his dark eyes.

"Sure, aye captain," she said opening her small case and pulling out her holster and handgun. Ed's jaw dropped.

"Is that a Glock 42 subcompact pistol?"

"Yes," she nodded simply, hardly concealing the smirk on her face. Ed laughed nervously.

"Why…"

"You have your talents, and I have mine," Bree silenced him, his eyebrows only raising forward. "Don't worry; I have a carry permit and everything. I don't intend on being an intern my whole life," she added, her curls bouncing slightly as she climbed out of the car and secured her weapon on her hip.

"Lead the way, captain!"

Edward led the way as they crept along the side of the main road that led to Arkham. They stayed close to the overgrown bushes. No one had really watched the area in quite some time. Even the local vandals typically abstained from this area aside from the occasional graffiti tag. It was far too close to the narrows, and the asylum stood on its own, creepier than any haunted house could ever be; at least that was what Bree thought, but she tried to hide it as they approached the looming structure.

"So we're just going to….walk in?" Bree asked uneasily.

"The property owners only check up on it a few times a month. We should be in the clear," Ed said quietly, turning his head slightly towards her while keeping his eyes locked ahead.

As they walked closer, it became more apparent how decrepit the buildings had become.

"Here we are," he said as they approached the main gate with the words _Arkham Asylum _across it, vines twisting up the iron bars. "Good thing I brushed up on how to pick…..locks," Ed's excited voice faded as they came closer.

"What is it?" she asked, but quickly received her answer as he reached out and pushed the gate, it swing open freely with a load creak. His eyes met hers.

"You may want to keep that gun at the ready."

"…why?"

"Because we're not alone here."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! I love hearing from you all, so don't be shy. It's been pretty hectic with midterms and such, but here's the next chapter. Hopefully, it makes more sense about why other people are at the asylum after episode four, but I had this one planned for a little while since I saw the previews, so enjoy!**

**/**

"What do you mean there's someone here? You said we'd be in the clear!" Bree muttered anxiously, running her hand through her tangled hair.

"_Clearly, I know that_," Ed whispered back harshly, his lips flattening tightly in thought.

"So, what's the plan now?"

"We keep going," he concluded. She furrowed her brows and shot him a look. He raised his brows and shrugged. Bree narrowed her eyes at him a moment, then sighed.

"Alright, looks like we're just going to have to be extra sneaky. Where to?" she asked, scanning her eyes across the immediate surroundings. They were clear here at least.

"Follow me," Ed said simply, sliding between the rusted open gates. She followed briskly behind him.

"There should be a discrete entryway over here," Ed whispered. Bree nodded in the dim light as they shuffled from shadow to shadow. She felt as if they were in some cheesy spy movie, her heart pumping loudly as she tried to keep her breathing quiet. However, she couldn't deny it was quite exhilarating. She hardly knew Ed at all, yet she trusted him to be smart enough to navigate them safely. Bree just had to watch their backs. She drew her gun from her holster. It wasn't loaded yet, but she was ready to do so at a moment's notice. Ed gave her a cursory glance and frowned, but said nothing. He led them to a small metal door, its hinges rusted, but Ed jingled the handle and knelt down. Bree cocked her head curiously, watching as he picked the lock with ease, the door swung open with a slight creak.

The two of them slid inside and cracked the door behind them.

"According to the blueprints, the file storage offices should be this way," he muttered.

They made their way down the dark, abandoned hallway, and Bree couldn't help but to shiver.

"This place is creepy as hell," she whispered, more to herself than to Ed. He made an uneasy sound of acknowledgement, flicking on a flashlight from his oversized tan coat. He led her up a staircase and down another few winding hallways until he slowed to a stop.

"Here we arrrrrre…" he said, his smile catching shadows ominously in the dim reflected light of his flashlight, "hold this," he added, handing Bree the flashlight as he started at the lock to the office. The window had collected an absurd amount of dust, and she couldn't see a thing past it. There was no way she would have been able to find this place without Edward.

Ed rattled the door handle and it gave a muted _click. _He pushed it open with a loud protest of the door's hinges. Bree immediately breathed in a lung full of dust and couldn't help but cough, her hand shooting up to her mouth to silence herself. Ed shot back a pointed look, and she just blinked back with wide eyes. He simply raised his brows and put a single finger to his lips. She nodded silently, handing him back the flashlight. He turned back to the room, stepping over various discarded items, and approached a wall of files.

Bree turned her back to him, facing the door, her gun resting unloaded in her palm. Suddenly, a muted noise floated down the hallway. _Footsteps._

"Ed, you might want to hurry up," she whispered, pulling the door so it was barely cracked open. She peered through the dusted glass, reaching into her pocket and loading her magazine with a soft _click._

"I think I almost have what I need…" she heard him mutter from the wall of files. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a different voice.

"Quick, turn the light off!" she said quietly, crouching down by the door frame. Ed obliged, freezing where he was.

"_Man, this place really is a dump, It's a wonder Maroni is even bothering with it. It gives me the creeps."_

The voices were close now, the clacking of nice shoes loud against the linoleum floors. Bree furrowed her brows in the darkness.

'_Maroni?' _She mouthed silently.

_"Yeah well, orders are orders, and there's a good bit a territory to be had in these parts."_

The men's footsteps passed by, and Bree waited till they could no longer be heard before she released the breath she hadn't known she was holding.

"_Jesus Christ_," she muttered, remaining hunched against the doorframe. She looked back to Edward as he flicked his flashlight back on. Edward clambered to his feet, several files clutched to his chest.

"We should go," he said simply, handing a few of the files to her.

"Agreed."

As they hurried back the way they came, Ed moved much faster than he had before. His long, lanky strides had Bree nearly running to keep up with him. Only one more patch of open space and they were home free. Ed now was a good ten strides in front of her, and she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Gasping, she ducked into the shadow of the gate wall, and looked up. Before she could call out to Ed, a gruff voice rang out.

"_Hey! What are you doing here_?" a shout came from the distance before her and Ed, gathering around the bright lamp that lit the pathway. Bree's breath hitched, and she saw Ed stiffen when from the unmistakable sound of firearms loading. He stared, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

Before she even could register what she was doing, Bree turned from the shadow, raising her glock and firing three rounds, hitting the only light source in the dark entryway, and evidently sending a bullet that skimmed one of the men. She sprinted toward Edward, mildly registering blind shots into the dark, and a yelp of pain from the man. She nearly knocked over Edward's frozen figure, snatching his hand and whispering.

"_Run._"

Immediately he snapped out of his trance, and they bee lined out the gates, sprinting and not stopping until they reached the car, parked behind a patch a bushes where they left it. They were silent for a moment, their breathing erratic and huffed. Bree looked up at Ed, who stared down at something with his eyebrows furrowed, and noticed he grew a little redder than he already was. She looked to where his attention was directed and noticed that she hadn't released his hand, and was grasping it quite tightly. She glanced at him as he cleared his throat and she let go his hand, their fingers brushing slightly as the contact disappeared.

"We should….get going," Ed said quickly, unlocking the door and clambering into the car. Bree clutched the files tightly to her chest, nodding as she hurried around the car and jumped in. He kicked it into reverse, and gunned it down the narrow path away from the dreaded Asylum. Bree's heart still hammered in her chest, and she couldn't help but to let out a nervous laugh.

Ed raised his brows, his eyes flickering between her and the dark road.

"What?"

Bree smiled, running a hand through her disheveled curls.

"We….we just did that."

She seemed to have no need to elaborate, as he just nodded, facing back forward as he swallowed hard.

"And I just saved your ass," she added with a chuckle, her hands trembling slightly as she dropped the magazine cartridge from her gun and holstered it.

"Yes….yes, it appears that we did…and _you _did. And guess what we have now?" he raised his brows challengingly, a grin surfacing on his features. Bree quirked her head and shot him a look of perplexity.

"If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. What is it?" he quipped excitedly, but it was not exactly like the other times he had posed a riddle to her. There was an edge to it, a sort of dark underlying chill in his voice that put her slightly on edge. She suddenly resisted the urge to shiver as she glanced back out the window, feeling his dark eyes on her.

"A _secret_," she whispered, barely audible. He smiled.

**_/_**

That night Bree fell into the deepest sleep she had in years, and was positively dismayed at the prospect of having to get out of bed and go to the precinct. She rolled over with a groan, but couldn't help but to smile with a strange giddy excitement at going to work with such a new secret. Sure, breaking into private property wasn't strictly _legal_, but….something about it seemed so much more productive than the work she had to do all day. She and Ed had probably done more to help the case in one night than the entire police force in an entire week.

So, she got up, and hurried to GCPD.

By the time she got there, she peaked inside the forensics lab and spotted Edward hunched over a few papers.

"Ed!" she quipped, his head snapping up at the intrusion. After a moment, he smiled.

"I got it!"he said excitedly, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses as he scurried towards her. "So, I isolated the molecule and compared it to that of the records we found at Arkham," he began, beginning to walk past her desk and down the stairs. "Apparently, we have a match! A drug referred to as _ATP, _the exact knock out drug we were looking for. Up top," he said, holding up a hand. Bree gave him a wry grin and a small snort of a laugh, hitting his hand briskly.

"Score for team Mr. sassy science and glock girl," she laughed, "Now go tell them!" she added with a smile. His grin faded.

"Do you think now would be a good time to bring it up?"

"Just, do it!" Bree whispered, pushing him forward and he crept by the window, peeking inside to see the Detective Bullock and Gordon talking to Essen.

"What is it, Ed?" the Captain's voice called out rather monotone from the other side of the glass. Suddenly, he snapped out of his reverie and Bree saw him swallow hard before darting inside the office.

"Guess what I found," she heard him quip excitedly and she grinned to herself as she scurried back to her pathetic little desk.

She took the time to refill her mug of coffee, leaving it mostly black, but dumping an obscene amount of sugar in it. As she turned around she almost spilled coffee on Edward as he was walking back to the forensics lab. Bree furrowed her brows, grabbing a napkin from the coffee station and dabbing the spilt drops as she met his eyes.

"Hey! That was fast. How did it go?"

He paused briefly, making a small grimace that grew into a tight smile as he spun around, his hands clasped behind his back as he gave a small shrug.

"They're working from the information we found. Not much of a thank you, but it will do," he said with a sigh. Bree hit him on the shoulder.

"Hey!" he said as he flinched away. "What was that about?"

Bree gave a lopsided grin.

"_You _are the reason they're gonna crack this case!" she waived her arms, gesturing to the room. "Think about it. Without knowing what drug was in that kid's system they would have never gotten a solid lead."

"Yeah, well no one will ever know," he said quietly, his cheerful demeanor all but dissipating. "They're going to barge in to wherever they go, guns waving, the cavalry behind them, and they will have _their_ names all over the papers," he pointed to the glass pointedly, an uneasy level of spite creeping into his voice. "No one will know what _we_ had to do to get that information," Ed said dismissively. Bree shrugged.

"And you are very right," she began slowly, "but _we_ will….and if that's all we get today, then there's always tomorrow," she shot back, her grin still plastered on her face. This was the sort of stuff she lived for; the exploring, the mystery, it was all she wanted the whole time. Of course she hadn't really expected it through a mediocre internship, but it was certainly a start. However, she realized just how much fun she had playing detective as her cheeks began to ache from smiling.

Edward folded his arms over his chest, looking downward as a smile spread across his lips and he chuckled into the collar of his long tan coat.

Suddenly, all the pieces seemed to fall seamlessly together. Bree pursed her lips slightly, trying to think how to word her next proposal.

"You know…it's pretty crazy, the sheer number of cases we get that go unsolved…"

"It is, isn't it?" he mused, letting the question ring in the silence. She meandered over to her desk, Ed trailing behind her.

"The department wouldn't even notice if a few of them were missing," she took a long sip of coffee.

"Oh?"

She shook her head, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"It would be a shame if a few of them were…._misplaced_," she said, her eyes meeting his as she slowly slid the case file towards him.

"That would be a shame…" His eyes flickered with something unrecognizable beneath his glasses, and a sly smile spread across his features as his fingertips grazed the edges of the case files.

"_A shame indeed."_


	4. Chapter 4

**You all are amazing, and a big thanks to everyone who has left reviews. Seriously, you guys are what keep this story going. Well, that and the amazing Edward Nygma. Hope you enjoy!**

Once more, Bree found herself nestled in the warm cocoon of sheets and blankets that she had longed for all week. It was a truly freeing feeling, lying in bed, not having any place to be. She gave a content sigh into her pillow, wallowing in her idleness, and hugging it tighter to her wrapped form.

She stiffened at the sound of her phone vibrating insistently. Looking up to her nightstand, she gave that hunk of plastic a glare that could have put a chill through Satan himself. Eventually, when her action didn't seem to work, she lunged over half the bed and snatched the phone from the charger.

"Hello…" she slurred in a sleep-induced haze.

"Oh….ah…Bree!" a familiar voice chimed from the other end of the line. Bree propped herself up from the bed on her elbow and rubbed her temple.

"Ed? What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"Why? Oh…yes, everything is fine, I just think I may have found something peculiar about one of those cases you gave me!"

Bree groaned inwardly before putting the phone back to her ear.

"Ed…you know it's my day off, right?" she said delicately.

She could practically felt his smile drop on the other end of the phone, and a slight pang of guilt shot through her.

"Oh…it's….fine. I just may have stayed up all night researching, but I suppose it can wait—"

"No, no, it's okay. I just really don't want to go in to GCPD today. How about we grab some coffee?" she suggested, rolling sprawling out on top of her sheets.

"That would be great!" Ed chimed enthusiastically. Bree couldn't help but to smile, yet inwardly chastised herself for being such a pushover. She sighed. At least it was better than doing paperwork all day.

**/**

Another cool, rainy day had found its way into Gotham. Bree bundled herself into her dark pea coat and her favorite dingy red scarf that had been a gift from her mother the last Christmas her family had as a whole, before their divorce.

She turned her head away from the sporadic cool mist of a drizzle that now filled the Gotham air. She ducked into the small café that Ed had suggested, glancing through the window and noticing Ed sitting in the far corner. As she gently pushed the door open and nodded a brief greeting to the barista, she wandered over to the booth that Edward had claimed. His nose was buried in a small stack of papers he had haphazardly strewn across the table. Her brows rose as she noticed a second cup of coffee across the table from his.

"Hey, Ed," she said, sliding into the booth across from him with a smile.

"Bree!" Ed said, blinking a few times as he looked up. Apparently he really hadn't noticed her approach. Darker circles seemed to emerge underneath his eyes overnight.

"Geeze….you weren't kidding about staying up all night. Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm doing wonderfully. Better than I have been in a while actually," he said with a lopsided grin as he took another swig of coffee. He gestured to the other cup.

"I went ahead and bought you some. You sounded a bit tired yourself on the phone."

Bree chuckled and gave a slow nod as she reached for the coffee.

"Thanks, that's very sweet of you," she smiled as she reached for the sugar.

"Hmm…you're welcome," he muttered, slightly flustered as he gathered up the papers in an attempt to create some order.

"So, tell me, what do you have? I'm honestly pretty surprised you have anything considering I gave those files to you yesterday," she said, her eyes flickering up to his as she stirred the coffee.

"Well, I suppose I just got a bit excited…" he shrugged.

"Alright, what do you have?"

Ed pulled out one of the papers and flicked through his small brown notebook.

"Do you always have that thing?" she mused, propping her head up by her elbow and nodding to the notebook. He didn't even look up.

"Do you always ask so many obvious questions?" he retorted. She raised a brow.

_Lack of sleep makes someone snappy….or everyone. _Bree mused to herself.

"So that would be a yes. No need to be hostile," she quipped with a lazy grin.

His smile resurfaced as he straitened his posture and cleared his throat.

"Jason Roberts; age 34, officially missing, but suspected to be deceased," he flipped to the next page. "Rumor has it that he was involved in some rather unsavory activities, particularly with certain crime lord, Mr. Falcone."

"Alright, so what makes this one so different than any other mob disappearance around here?"

"I was just about to get to that," Ed began, "They never actually found his body, but they did find his left hand, complete with wedding ring and all."

"Okay…well that is a bit strange. Usually something like that would be used to send a message, but it would be a bit noticeable if our man without a hand suddenly skipped town."

"Exactly! One theory is that he angered the wrong person in the mob and was taken out. Another is that Roberts skipped town because of debt, and abandoned his family, leaving his hand as a mode of faking his own death. Now, his family is still in town, and Roberts' fate is still quite ambiguous."

"Sounds like a gold mine. Where do we start?" Bree smiled, taking another sip of coffee. Ed mirrored her. He drummed his slim fingers on the table pensively.

"Well, what's often immediately effected by the disappearance of a person?" Ed pressed, looking at her expectantly.

"Their….family?" she offered with a light shrug.

"Bingo," he said with a smile, "I figured we could start out by interviewing the family….and I may need to you do a bit of _undercover _work…"

Bree almost spit out her coffee as she snorted a laugh.

"_Undercover_? You're joking right? I'm an intern, not some super-spy, and why don't you do it?"

Ed raised a brow.

"_Well_, you _are_ quite unassuming, which is why you'd be a better candidate."

"As if you aren't unassuming," she shot back with a lazy grin. His eyes glimmered darkly and a smirk played on his lips before continuing.

"Also, there's always the risk that someone may recognize me from homicide," he reasoned, holding her gaze steadily. She eyed him carefully for a moment before sighing.

"Oh, come on, no one will notice that you're with GCPD unless they make a hobby of hanging around homicides! But...I'll do it," she relented, "Where do I need to go?"

"Roberts' last employer before he disappeared," he flipped over a few pages in his notebook, furrowing his brows and trailing his finger across lines of text until he found what he was looking for. He hesitated a moment, before speaking back up.

"Fish Mooney," he muttered, clearing his throat.

"_Excuse me_?" Bree sputtered.

"Just ask a few questions! Flirt around; I don't know how people do it! Just ask about Roberts, see what his habits were like, who he hanged with, things of that nature."

"I'm not going alone."

Ed rolled his eyes, looking her over for a moment. Bree crossed her arms, raising her brows and shooting a glare right back. Edward sighed.

"Fine, I'll go too," he said reluctantly. Bree's grin resurfaced.

"Night on the town, eh?" she laughed. Ed swallowed uncomfortably.

"It's _just _for research."

"I'm gonna _make _you have fun," she added, poking at his little notebook. He began to gather his papers, and shuffled in his seat, readying to leave. Her smile faded slightly and she chewed her lip uncertainly.

"So when are we going to do this?" she asked. He smiled.

"I never _was_, but am always to _be_. None ever saw me, nor ever will, and yet I am the confidence of all who live and breathe on this terrestrial ball."

"Seriously, it _is _my day off, you know…"

"_Tomorrow."_

"Wait…before you go, I also kinda wanted to talk about…that other thing."

Bree's eyes flickered around before she leaned over the table.

"About Arkham?" he finished stoically. She nodded.

"You aren't going to….tell anyone are you?" she asked hesitantly, earning a sudden laugh from Edward that caught her off guard.

"Of_ course_ not," he stated with a smirk, his dark eyes burning into hers.

"Good….because this entire thing we're doing is not strictly—"

"_Legal_. I'm aware," he said with an almost bored tone.

"Yeah," she said, her brows rose slightly, but she didn't comment on his disregard for legality.

"Now, _my _turn for more questions!" he quipped, setting his papers back on the table and steepling his hands in front of him. She gave a small smile and nodded as she took another sip of coffee and settled back into her seat.

"Shoot."

"Interesting choice of words," he chuckled, leaning forward attentively. It slightly unnerved her how intense his observant gaze was.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

Bree raised her brows and shrugged, giving a light smile.

"My father taught me. He used to take me to the range all the time, and I kept practicing when I was old enough to go on my own."

"Used to?" he inquired, letting the question hang. She shook her head.

"No, not like that, he's still around. My father was a cop. He worked for GCPD for a few years. That's how I managed to land the internship."

Ed nodded in understanding.

"Did he quit?"

"Not exactly….He was an active officer for quite a few years, but then he was shot in the shoulder during a drug bust. They moved him to a desk job, and now he works in the nicer suburbs now."

Edward stared at his empty coffee cup pensively, his finger trailing across the rim.

"And what about you?" he asked quietly.

"What about me?"

"Surely don't want to be _an intern the rest of your life_," he said with a smile, quoting her statement earlier at the asylum. "Especially not with a shot like that…And you're a grad student."

"How did you...?" he shot her a look that silenced her. Then it suddenly occurred to her that surely a guy like Edward would have done his research on just about everyone that entered the doors of GCPD. Then she sighed, there was no point beating around the bush with Ed.

"I'm working on my masters in criminology at Gotham University, and getting work experience at GCPD, but I don't really plan on sticking around Gotham forever. I know it's aiming pretty high, but I really want to work for the FBI someday," Bree admitted with a shy shrug. Edward smiled, his glasses glinting in the café lighting.

"I think you'd do a great job in the FBI…" he said, staring down as his steepled hands pensively.

"What about you?" she said, causing him to pause momentarily. "Do you like where you are?"

Edward grabbed the papers and bunched them against his tall frame as he rose to his feet. He seemed to muse this for a moment.

"Now, that _is _quite the interesting conundrum…." He stated evasively. A smirk surfaced across his lips, "Text me if you find anything before tomorrow."

Bree pursed her lips and furrowed her brows as he turned to leave, her eyes following his slim form as he approached the door. He paused as he touched the handle, his head turning back and smiling at her.

" See you soon, _Agent Taylor_."

**Feel free to leave your thoughts, questions, ect. Thanks for reading! Reviews are wonderful. :)****  
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	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again, I do apologize for the wait! Life's been hectic from Halloween to school and college homecoming week, and so on. I'm also a pro at procrastinating. So here's a nice longer chapter for you. A big thanks to all the amazing people who have left reviews, and your enthusiasm makes me super happy. **

_Thump. Thunk-thump._

Her fists collided with the punching bag with dull, heavy sounds. Bree huffed as she landed a solid round kick into the bag. She placed her hands atop her head as she paced around the bag slowly. She sighed as a buzzing noise against the hard floor caught her attention. She wandered over to her gym bag, taking a quick swing of water before picking up her phone.

"_Heeello_," she chimed, still a bit out of breath, putting the phone to her ear and a hand on her hip.

"So, I managed to find an address for Mr. Roberts," Edward said excitedly over the line. Bree chuckled breathlessly.

"Really, Ed, not even a hello?" she said with a tired smile.

"Oh….well…hello. I just assumed…." He muttered uneasily.

"I'm kidding, it's cool, so what about that address?" she laughed as the paced the hardwood floor.

"Can you get to GCPD right now?"

"Uhh….I'm a little occupied," she said with a chuckle, glancing into the large studio mirror and observing her disheveled, sweaty form. "Studying…"

She heard him chuckled over the line.

"You sound a little out of breath for studying….unless you just have some very peculiar study methods…" Ed trailed off.

"Oh….no…just give me an hour or so. I need to shower and such; I'm pretty groady at the moment."

"From studying?" he mused incredulously.

"Absolutely," she quipped with a grin, grabbing her water and throwing it into her bag.

"Why the urgency? I have off today too, it's Saturday, remember?" she added, furrowing her brows as she made her way out the door and down the narrow staircases.

"Well, _you _may have the day off, but for some odd reason, homicides tend to not have the decency to wait till Monday. Ironically, I'm finishing up a crime scene at Arkham now…"

"Oh, irony does abound," she interjected, keeping the phone wedged between her shoulder and ear as she wriggled into her coat.

"I _may _have gotten us connected for a brief interview with Mrs. Roberts," Ed finished, not missing a beat from her commentary.

"That's awesome!" Bree said before breathing in sharply at the cool chill of the outside air. "Look, Ed, I'm gonna have to let you go for a bit. I'll see you in an hour or so."

"But wait! I wanted to tell you this one new riddle I ha—" Ed was broken off and she could hear voices shouting his name on the other side of the line. "Gotta go, bye!" was all she caught before the line went dead. She sighed, shoving her phone into her pocket before hurrying off to her apartment.

She rushed through her shower and tried to piece together an outfit suitable for a "short interview," or whatever their chat really would be. She hurried off to GCPD, hair still slightly damp as she ran out the door.

/

When Bree finally arrived at GCPD Edward was standing next to Detective Bullock's desk, handing him few sheets of paper she assumed was an autopsy report. She shifted uncomfortably with a polite smile as she shuffled closer. Bullock's eyes shifted to her as she nudged Edward with her elbow.

"Who's this?" Bullock pointed to her, looking at Ed as if he'd grown an extra head. Bree raised her brows. Edward opened his mouth to answer, clutching his little brown notebook to his chest, but Bree cut him off.

"I work here, actually I do a lot of your paperwork," she said with a tight smile, extending her hand. He took it hesitantly. "Brianna Taylor, I usually work upstairs…" Bullock raised his brows with a slow nod.

"So, you do…" he gave a brief tip of his hat, "Well in that case, keep up the good work kiddo….and whatever you're doing with Ed…" he said with a wave of his hand. His focus was elsewhere, making eye contact with his partner across the room and hurrying over.

"I think he thought we were—"

"-They belong to me, they belong to you, they can make you feel happy or make you feel blue, they never end until the day you do…" he said quietly, cutting her off. She raised a brow silently, eyeing him. After a moment, he met her eyes with a rather curious look and an almost deary smirk on his face.

"_Thoughts_….he can think what he likes," Ed finished, clearing his throat slightly.

"So, shall we?"

/

Bree hugged her coat more tightly to herself as another cool breeze sent a chill through her as they stood on the steps of a rather decrepit apartment complex. It stood on the edge of mob territory, as Edward had been so keen to inform her before they stood in the cold on the complex's doorstep. After another moment or so, the doorknob rattled and a pale-faced woman peered out from the cracked door.

_Time to turn on the charm._

Bree smiled, and nudged Ed, who hesitantly plastered an uneasy smile onto his own face.

"Hi, Mrs. Roberts, is it? We're the journalism students that briefly corresponded with you earlier. Do you mind if we can have a word with you? It will only take a few minutes," Bree chirped, trying to sound more professional than she actually felt. Ed remained silent next to her, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Oh, yes, do come in!" Mrs. Roberts responded. Rusted bolts slid on the other side of the door, and she opened it wider. She smiled weakly, brushing aside her mousey hair and bangs tinged with a dull shade of grey.

Edward trailed behind Bree as they climbed up the chipped stone steps to the door. They followed the small woman up a small flight of stairs. She glanced back over her shoulder as they shuffled after her.

"So, what were your names again?"

"Oh, I'm Caroline Logue, and this is…"

"Charlie Smith," Edward finished, making eye contact with Bree and shooting her a small shrug.

They reached the floor and Mrs. Roberts turned towards them, giving another tired smile.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you two," she said, extending her hand. Bree shook it and Edward stared at her extended hand for a moment too long before he realized he was supposed to shake it, and then shook it with a bit too much enthusiasm.

They entered the small musty-smelling apartment and Mrs. Roberts gestured to small couch.

"Do take a seat," she said as she took a seat in a cushioned seat across from them. Bree nudged Edward and he hurried around the sofa, sitting down stiffly. She joined him, the old couch creaking in protest at their combined weights. They heard the loud thumping of footsteps and a loud giggle in the next room. Bree glanced at Edward, his brows furrowed slightly, then to Mrs. Roberts, who rolled her eyes.

"Krispen, Julie! Keep it down!" Mrs. Roberts shouted then sighed with a small shake of her head.

"Children…" she muttered, crossing her legs tiredly as she smoothed out her long skirt. Bree opened her mouth for a moment, trying to carefully word her next question.

"So, you have two children?" she asked. Mrs. Roberts nodded.

"How….did they handle Mr. Roberts passing?" she asked delicately. A tight frown formed on Mrs. Roberts' face. She looked down, wringing out her hands in her lap.

"Well…he never was around much to begin with, and when he was I typically kept them away from him. I loved my Jason….but….he had a bit of a temper. Thank God for Samuel…"

Bree saw Edward's throat bob next to her as he swallowed, his mouth in a tight line. Bree nodded solemnly.

"If I may ask….who's Samuel?" Bree asked, raising her brows, her eyes flickering to Ed and back to Mrs. Roberts. Edward was being rather quiet, but she supposed it was probably working for their benefit. She'd ask why later. Mrs. Roberts smiled, her eyes still downcast.

"Samuel is….was Jason's brother. He's been a wonderful help after the entire Jason ordeal…He helps with the kids, lives with us, helps pay the bills. He's been like a father to Krispen and Julie since Jason's passing…if not even before. He's an angel," she said, meeting Bree's eyes once more, and glancing to Edward.

"You still wear the ring," Edward interjected, breaking his silence. Mrs. Roberts nodded silently, her smile fading as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat and she twisted the ring on her finger.

"I couldn't bear to bring myself to take it off. It seemed too soon."

"It doesn't seem that way considering the way you speak about Samuel."

Mrs. Roberts' jaw dropped slightly before she narrowed her eyes. Bree froze in her seat, eyes wide and wishing Ed had refrained from opening his mouth.

_This can't be good._

"I know my late husband was involved in some rather shady affairs. I also knew that every day he went to work there was a chance he would never come back. It was never disenchanted by that."

"I can see that."

"I want you to _leave_, right now," Mrs. Roberts' scowled, standing from her seat.

Just then the rattle of the door beside them sliced through the thick tension of the small living room. The door swung open and revealed a tall man with light scruff and hands full of groceries.

"Hey! How's it—"he began, but his brows rose when he saw Edward and Bree sitting bewildered on the couch. "Hello…who's this?" he said, placing the large bags on the ground, revealing his large, muscled form. Edward swallowed nervously as he slowly rose to his feet. Bree joined him, her eyes flickering across the room, trying to figure out any way to diffuse the tension.

"No one, Samuel. They were just leaving," Mrs. Roberts spat. Bree was the first to move, latching on to Edward's arm and tugging him towards the exit.

"Yes…we were just….leaving. I hope you have a wonderful day," she sputtered weakly as they shuffled around Samuel's large form and out the door. Bree nearly dragged Edward down the flight of stairs and out the complex door before she suddenly turned around, Edward almost falling atop her.

"What the _hell_ was that about?" she spat, poking him in the chest.

"I only pointed out what I needed to…"Edward said, staring at her finger at his chest, his brows drawn together in confusion. "What did I do wrong?"

Bree narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, examining his face and slowly bringing her hand down. Her expression lightened a fraction when she realized he was serious; he actually didn't understand why she was angry. She bit her lip a moment, glancing down the mostly abandoned street before she sighed.

"Ed…not everyone takes being called out very well. Especially not a woman that just lost her _husband_," she said, meeting his dark brown eyes with her light hazel ones. Edward gave her a tight-lipped frown.

"Her _abusive_ husband, you mean."

Bree shook her head slowly.

"That doesn't matter. She still cared about him, even if he didn't treat her well."

"Why?..." Ed asked quietly. Bree raised her brows and paused a moment. Then she smiled.

"Ed, sometimes people are like the riddles you tell, but without a single answer," she laughed, sliding her arm around his elbow.

"What are you…?" Ed began, staring down at their contact.

"I'm cold and you're warm, now shut up," she sighed into his shoulder.

"Oh….okay."

"So, what's the plan now? We didn't really get to ask many questions with Mrs. Roberts…so are we still up for the Mooney excursion?"

"I'd say so. We need to see what else we can dig up about Mr. Roberts." He nodded stiffly.

"Alright, pick me up at eight tonight. I can text you the address."

"W-wait, pick you up?" Edward said, stumbling with his words.

"Yeah, I can't meet you at GCPD in clubbing clothes. I'll never live that down," she laughed, bumping into him playfully. Her lips lazily fell into a smile. "Not that they even know I work there…" she added glumly.

"You wouldn't be the only one," he muttered with a tight smile, "So, eight?"

"Eight."

/

_Maybe this isn't such a good idea._

Bree mused as she refreshed her makeup, her hands nervously sliding down the sides of her dress, tugging at the hems. She sighed as she put on a bit of lipstick and pulled up the neckline of her dress slightly. Being one of two nicer dresses in her closet, the other one reserved for church when the family was in town, she didn't have much of a choice with it. Needless to say, she never found herself going out very often. The deep green dress wasn't absurdly tight, or short for that matter, but the neckline was a little on the border of what she was comfortable with. However, she was hoping it would portray just enough class to get the job done.

_What the hell. Let's get it over with._

She winced at the loud sound of her heels clacking against the hard apartment floor as she grabbed her purse and carefully tucked away her Glock inside.

_You can never be too careful. _She thought with a smirk as she draped the bag strap across her shoulder, and threw on her peacoat. She hurried down the stairs as she felt the buzzing of her phone through her bag. She didn't even bother answering it as she flung open the door, finding a rather wide-eyed Edward Nygma on her doorstep, a cab standing idle behind him. He blinked a few times, still clutching his phone to his ear.

"I was hoping I was at the right address," he said, slowly lowering the phone. Ed wore the same suit he was wearing from earlier, not that it mattered since there was a very slim chance of seeing anyone who would recognize him, Bree mused.

"Uh….you look….different," he said, clearing his throat.

"Well….good. I'd say I should look different than I do at GCPD," she smiled, giving a small chuckle as she slid into the cab and he ducked in after her.

When they eventually arrived in the theater district, Edward seemed to not notice Bree fidgeting in her seat. As they slowed to a stop on the street near Mooney's club, Ed leaned over with a grin.

"What is the restraining hand

That keeps you from going,

From doing horrible things,

And is hard to live with?"

"I don't know, Ed…" Bree sighed, but when she turned her head she was greeted by his furrowed brows and a frown. The corners of her lips twitched slightly.

"You know, sometimes I don't know if you actually want me to answer, or you want me to get it wrong just to prove you're smarter."

His frown faded into a more baffled expression, at which Bree actually smiled.

"Ah, have I foiled your master plan?" she said, giving the cab driver some cash before popping open the door and turning back to him. He silently opened his mouth, but then closed it again, blinking a few times.

"I think I'll throw _you _a curve ball. Here's a riddle: do you really want me to answer? "

"Well, technically that's not a riddle…"

/

The two found themselves wondering up to the nearest bar as they walked into the night club. A band played on stage and eyes were certainly not on them. Bree flashed a smile to the bartender.

"How you doin', miss?" the larger man said with a grin, giving Edward a small nod of acknowledgement. "What can I get for yah today?"

"Two rum and cokes please," she said, dragging Ed into the seat beside her.

"Wait—I'm not…" Edward began to protest, but Bree shot him a look.

"It would look a little weird if you didn't…" she muttered quietly.

"Alright then, what she said!" he quipped with a tight smile, sliding into the seat beside her and leaning against the bar.

Ed peered over her shoulder at a few of the people seated down the bar from them. Bree gave another polite smile as the bartender slid the two drinks in front of them.

"Anyone look like they could be particularly helpful?" she said in a hushed tone to Edward, taking a sip of her drink. He nodded faintly, examining his own drink for a moment.

"The bartender, for one, but the lone man at the far end seems to be an employee as well," he said lowly, bringing the drink to his lips. He tried to conceal a light cough as he took his first sip.

"Not much a bar person?" Bree chuckled lightly, taking a larger drink. He smiled and shook his head.

"Are you?" he added after a moment, his eyes flickering across her features. Bree bit her lip slightly.

"Not particularly….but I can certainly hold my liquor," she smiled, "I learned that back in undergrad. Let's kick it up, shall we?" she laughed, turning back to the bar and waving down the bartender.

"What else can I get for yah?"

"Get us couple shots of fireball," she called out to him, "And put that on _this guy_."

She gestured to Ed with a mischievous grin. Ed leaned over stiffly, whispering harshly.

"_What _are you doing? You remember this is a stakeout_, right_?"

She dismissively waved her hand.

"Yes, but you're not going to get anyone to talk with that attitude. Not to mention, you're stiff as a board. I'm trying to get you to relax some," she shrugged, smirking as she caught the shots being placed down in front of them from the corner of her eye.

"So, are you ready?" she said grabbing a glass.

"Unlikely," he said simply, but mirrored her.

He downed the shot, but refused to have any more. Bree felt the need to finish his unfinished few shots and it was slowly but surely starting to hit her. She prided herself at being the intellectual drunk, but she accidentally found herself at the border of tipsy and drunk. Edward seemed a little tipsy, but he really just seemed a bit quieter than usual.

"I really don't want to think about GCPD right now…" Ed muttered.

"You know, I think you're pretty cool…" she slurred, smiling lazily. "And I don't really think they appreciate you as much as they should."

"Yeah…"

"And I actually really enjoy spending time with you"

"Bree, you've had a bit to drink."

"I don't care…." She quipped, leaning against his shoulder lazily. Edward swallowed hard and seemed deeply concentrated on his shot glass as a light dusting of red found its way to his cheeks.

"I think I'm going to grab some fresh air…"

"Okay, just don't go too far, and be careful."

"Thank you, mother," he chuckled, hopping out of the seat.

Bree smiled, and then asked the bartender for a water. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure down the bar looking her way. Feeling brave, she turned and met the man's eyes. She smiled, sliding out of her seat and slowly walking towards him. He seemed suddenly a little nervous and took another sip of his beer. He was relatively handsome, likely Italian with his sleek dark hair and tan. She still had the feeling he was a low level thug on some sort of break.

"Hey," she said, sliding into the seat next to him. "Saw you staring and thought I'd say hello."

"My apologies, I just can't help but stare when I see something beautiful," he said flashing a rather impressive smile. Bree couldn't help but giggle, allowing her light intoxication give a more convincing act.

"That's so sweet!" she said, tilting her head, "What's your name?" she asked lowly, trailing a finger playfully across his shoulder.

"Franco, and yours, sweetheart?" he said.

"I'm Lyndsey," she said with a smile. He chuckled.

"Well, miss Lyndsey, was that a boyfriend you were with earlier?" he asked, his tone smooth. Bree shook her head and gave a short laugh.

"No, of course not! That's my cousin, Brian. He's not from around here, and he can be such a stick in the mud!" she rolled her eyes, and exaggerated her motions.

"Well that's a relief for me. Can I buy you another drink?"

Bree chewed on her lip briefly in mock-contemplation.

"I've already had a few, but another water would be lovely," she said with a smile. "So, Franco, do you work here, or just hang around here?"

He chuckled.

"A bit of both, I suppose, but yes I do in a way work here."

Bree shifted a little closer to him, subtly brushing her knee against his.

"So, this may seem a little out of the blue, but while I'm out here I guess I should ask. Brian used to be friends with a guy who lives and works around here. He was trying to reconnect with him and I was wondering if you knew him. I think his name was…Jason Roberts?" she said, slurring her words and furrowing her brows more than necessary. Franco scoffed before nodding after a moment.

"Yeah, I knew the guy."

"Oh, really?" she asked, resting her chin on her palm.

"Bit the dust a while back. Pretty messy, too."

"Oh, _n_o….what happened?" she said with a pouty frown. Franco shrugged.

"I'm not really sure."

"Was it….work related?" she ventured, earning a raised brow from him.

"I doubt it. He wasn't the easiest guy to get along with, but he knew the rules. He was one loyal son of a bitch, and he was pretty damn good at what he did. He was a favorite, really, as far as basic labor goes. Wait, where are you—"

"I'm really sorry, but I have to make a call, give me just a minute," she said, standing up and quickly pulling her phone from her bag. Oddly enough, at that exact moment, her phone buzzed and Ed's caller id popped up. An odd thought crossed her sobering mind.

_What is the restraining hand_

_That keeps you from going,_

_From doing horrible things,_

_And is hard to live with?_

She didn't even take a breath.

_Guilt._

"Ed, it wasn't Mooney that had Roberts killed…" she sputtered into the mouthpiece.

"I know…." She heart nearly skipped a beat as she heard Edward swallow hard on the other side of the line.

"_Listen to me_; you need to get the Roberts' apartment complex right now. I can't explain, I—"

The line went dead.

"Edward?..." she muttered dumbly into the speaker.

"Ed!" she whispered, stumbling out of her seat as she stared at her phone and smacked down a twenty for the drinks. "Keep the change," she muttered not paying much attention to the several people she nearly knocked over to get out the door of the club; Franco long forgotten.

"Taxi!" she yelled as her heels clacked on the sidewalk.

_Shit_.

She thought glumly, deeply regretting the few drinks she had as she nearly leapt into the back seat of the taxi.

"What have I gotten myself into…"

**It took me wayyyyy too long to get through this one for whatever reason.**

**That's it for now, but if anyone is interested, I'm setting up a tumblr roleplay blog for Bree. Goooooo, ask questions and stuff. It's**

**briannablairtaylor on tumblr, and I may post my Brianna and Edward playlist 8tracks if anyone wants that!**


	6. Chapter 6

The tires of the cab nearly screeched to a halt as she nearly shouted instructions to the cabbie.

"_I will actually pay you double if you get me there as fast as you possibly can."_

Bree had said when she first climbed into the cab. She found herself sobering at an alarming pace. Mentally, she felt there, but she knew her reaction time would be horrible compared to usual.

She nearly threw the money at the cab driver as she ducked out the door and muttered a quick "_thank you_."

Rushing up the doorsteps, she slowed as she approached the door, carefully testing the knob.

It was unlocked.

She paused, taking a moment to slide off her heels.

_No point of those… _she mused, reaching into her purse and grabbing her Glock. _This is a horrible idea, _she thought vaguely, sliding the rounds into the magazine.

_Click._

She opened the door slowly, keeping her gun at the ready as she crept inside. The stairs creaked softly as she snuck up the small flight.

Her heart thrummed painfully hard in her chest as she reached for the doorknob. Her head was as nearly spinning as she tried to keep her breathing a quiet as possible. She turned the knob….it was unlocked as well.

"Something is really not right…" she whispered under her breath, pushing the door open with a small burst of confidence. Her grip on her gun never faltered.

The lights were not on as she crept inside the small apartment. Her eyes darted across the room, looking from any movement. The dim glow of a light around a wall partition caught her eye and she slowly began to walk towards it. She rounded the corner and found herself in a small kitchen and was greeted by the large shoulders of burly man, his back to her. Her stomach dropped as she heard an unmistakable sound.

_Click!_

"It's about time you showed up, girlie," the man said turning around and raising a gun in her direction. She swallowed as she noticed a seated figure behind him, tied to a chair. _Ed._

He looked at her with wide eyes. Bree met Samuel's eyes with a steely edge.

"_GCPD_….pun the gun down, Roberts," she said with less certainty than she intended. Samuel laughed, stepping forward slightly. Bree stepped back, nearly tripping over a carpet, but kept her arms steady.

"Really, _GCPD_? Then I'd like to see some credentials."

"Drop the gun and maybe we'll talk," Bree retorted. Samuel shook his head.

"No can do, kiddo."

"Where are the children?"

"Not here."

"It was you that killed Jason. You killed your own brother…._why_?" she took a jab at a theory she had been beginning to suspect, hoping that it would at least buy her some time. Samuel's smirk faded, and he scoffed, clenching his hand not holding his gun.

"That man had not been my brother for a very long time. He had turned into just another hired thug….I was just doing the world a favor," he said bitterly.

_Shit, he really did kill his brother._ She thought, trying to hide her slight surprise from her face.

"And he hurt Michelle and the kids…"

"You were in love with her…" Bree mused, raising her brows, "You were protecting them."

"Jason never deserved a woman like her," Samuel narrowed his eyes, his frown deepening.

"Hence the amputation of his left hand and the placement of the wedding ring still on it…" Edward interjected quietly from behind Samuel.

"That was clever making it look like a mob hit," Bree commented, drawing Samuel's attention back to her. "But why approach us again?"

He was quiet a moment, gun lowered slightly.

"I knew something was wrong the moment Michelle said there were a few students trying to interview her about Jason…and I just knew you weren't students. I couldn't let you go knowing what had actually happened….I couldn't then and I can't now—"

Bree's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly raised his gun and she almost dropped to the floor, but a loud _THUNK _froze her to the spot. With wide eyes she gaped as Samuel's form slumped and collapsed onto the ground, only to reveal a brow furrowed Edward Nygma wielding a frying pan.

"Ed…" she gasped, staring at the heap of a man on the floor. She watched as Ed dropped the pan on the ground with a loud _clang._

Bree lowered her gun, dropping the magazine and stowing it away with rather shaky hands.

"I froze…" she muttered, eyes downcast. In her peripherals she noticed Ed step around the unconscious lump and move toward her.

"I _froze._ I froze and I almost got myself killed because of it," she blinked as she fought back the wave of unforeseen emotion. She swallowed hard, nodding softly as she dared to raise her head and meet Edward's eyes.

She could see the thoughts dancing across his dark eyes, not quite sure how to process the situation. His lips were slightly pursed together and he stared at her as he reached out and lightly patted her on the shoulder. A smirk played upon her lips at the gesture.

"Thank you," she took a moment to wrap her arms around him, clinging to him tightly. "Thanks for being the one to save _my ass_ this time around," she chuckled into the lapels of his suit. She felt him stand stiffly, as if he genuinely did not know what to do.

"It's easy, Ed," she sniffed a little as she laughed, biting back the slight sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. "You just, take your arms, put them around someone and squeeze a little," she smiled into his shoulder, her brows still deeply furrowed, fighting back a sob. She felt his lean arms hesitantly wrap around her form. After a moment, just as she moved to pull away, his grip tightened, holding her in place his arms tugging her closer to his lanky form. She felt his cheek rest against her head. They stood like that in silence for what felt like hours. After another moment, Bree spoke up.

"Edward?"

"Hhmm?"

"There is an unconscious body on the floor that we likely need to address."

"Interesting….so there is."

/

"_What turns everything around, but does not move?_"

"Wait—so does this answer my question about the Roberts' thing?" Bree raised a finger, tilting her head slightly. Edward just about rolled his eyes.

"Come oooooon, just give it a try!" he quipped.

They stood back at GCPD headquarters, Edward leaning over Bree's desk.

"It is way too early for this."

"_Brianna_…" he droned impatiently, tapping on her desk.

"A mirror," she said with a sigh and Edward beamed.

"Correct! See, that was not so bad."

"Yes, but how does that answer my question about how you managed to get Roberts locked up without involving us?"

"Oh, but in a way, it does! I _reflected back _on his past, and found that he was on parole for drug related charges. I simply gave him a dose of said drug and called in an anonymous tip of a domestic disturbance of some sort at the address, and voila!" he said excitedly, a wide grin spreading across his face. Bree blinked a few times.

"Wait—you could have made him go into a relapse!"

Ed shrugged. "I think a thank you would suffice."

Bree sighed, narrowing her eyes briefly at him while dragging a hand through her hair.

"Thank you, Ed," she said eventually, a smile playing on her lips. "Oh! Wait, I got you something!" she said, snapping her fingers and reaching under her desk. "I was in this bookstore yesterday and I passed this and it reminded me of you," she laughed, pulling out a small box and handing it to him. He raised his brows, taking the box into his hands curiously.

"Go on, open it up!"

He pulled off the bits of tape keeping it together and popped open the cardboard top. A large grin appeared on his face as he reached inside and pulled out a white ceramic mug, its side adorned with a large question mark.

"Oh my word….that's beautiful."

"I thought you'd like it," Bree grinned, gathering her papers.

"Oh, and another thing! Have you heard anything about that strange case Bullock and Gordon picked up this morning? It's some sort or mystery drug that—"

"Nygma! Get down here!" a gruff voice called out, causing his face to drop. He sighed.

"Duty calls…"

**Surprise fast update! It's a bit short, but to the point. I just had to keeping going with a cliffhanger like that last chapter. You all are wonderful and thanks for the lovely reviews. If things go well, I may even have another chapter up by the end of the week!**

**Once again, feel free to ask questions or roleplay with Bree at .com **

**Till next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay. Some rather unfortunate events have happened on my campus the past week and everything has been hectic, and I haven't spent much time writing. Luckily more people were not hurt, but keep them in your thoughts.**

Over the steady hum of people arguing and clambering through GCPD, Bree's music played quietly in her little corner of the world. She caught a looming presence over her desk in the corner of her eye, and her lips twitched into a smirk.

"What do you got, Ed?" she remarked casually.

"_Don't vex me, mortal_," he chimed. Bree paused, furrowing her brows before looking up from her work and was met with his grinning face.

"_Excuse_, me?" she said, resting her chin on her hand.

"That's supposedly what the man said, before drinking a few gallons of milk, and stealing an ATM," he continued.

"Sorry, I'm going to need a bit more context than that," she said with a small snort of laughter.

"Oh…well, this morning Detective Gordon and Detective Bullock checked in on a drug store robbery, and supposedly the man was strung out on some sort of mystery drug," he began excitedly, pushing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, "And the man apparently drank a gallon of milk, and then _ripped out _an ATM with his _bare hands_!" Edward finished, his arms gesturing dramatically.

Bree's hand clamped over her mouth, stifling a laugh.

"And you didn't make this up?" she choked out in a laugh. Ed shook his head, grinning.

"What is it with this town and their mystery drugs?" She waved, grabbing her cup of coffee. "_Don't vex me, mortal,"_ she smiled, "Can I get that on my tombstone?"

"I'm not quite sure…it would be a bit ironic though, hmm?"

"Yeah, for sure…..so how on earth did that guy rip out an ATM?" she asked, looking up at him from her cup. Edward gave an exaggerated shrug.

"Not a clue! However, I would very much like to know!" he said smiling. He leaned in a bit closer. "Shall we….do a little investigating?" he added quietly, his eyes crinkling with excitement.

Bree returned a smile sadly, her hand running itself through her messy hair.

"I don't know Ed….maybe we should sit this one out. This could be pretty dangerous and we just finished the last one a few days ago…" she said, and edge of uncertainty creeping into her voice.

Ed's expression slowly fell, his smile drifting from his lips.

"The last one was dangerous too," he said pointedly. Bree nodded.

"I know…but that's just it. If we got in over our heads we wouldn't have anyone to back us up, and even if we did call GCPD, we could lose our jobs…" Bree sighed, "Look, I'm sorry, just give me a few more days. I'm still a little shaken from the whole Roberts thing. I'm not saying you shouldn't look into it, I'm just saying I don't want either of us to get hurt by some drugged out psycho," she said, meeting his eyes.

His lips pressed tightly together as he gave a stiff nod. He held his little brown notebook against his chest and pushed his up his glasses. Eventually he looked up, meeting her gaze, disappointment clear in his eyes.

"Ed…"

"It's okay, it's fine…" he said with a tight smile.

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't do anything—"

"I said it was fine!" Ed interrupted, meeting her surprised eyes for a moment before swallowing stiffly, and taking his leave.

Bree blinked a few times as she watched him leave, her brows furrowed together.

"What's his problem today?" she mumbled to herself, looking back down at her daily stack of papers.

/

A few hours later, Bree stood from her desk with a sigh. She reached down as she felt an insistent buzzing in her pocket.

"_Hello,_" she chimed as she flipped open her phone.

"Hey, Bree! We're still on for lunch, right?" a familiar female voice rang over the line. Bree stopped and nearly tripped down the stairs as she finished shrugging on her coat and held the phone to her ear.

"Oh, wow, Jess, I totally forgot," she said, feeling the need to bop herself on the head for being such and idiot, "Just give me fifteen minutes, I'll be right there!"

She heard a laugh over the line.

"_Typical_, see you soon!" Jessica said before the line went dead.

The sudden cold on her cheeks nearly left her breathless as Bree pushed open the doors to GCPD. She hurried down the sidewalk and made her way down to the street. Luckily, her favorite coffee shop was not far from GCPD, and for that matter, not far from the one Edward had shown her. It was larger than most of the coffee shops in the area, and typically was swarmed with local college students. A small bell jingled softly as Bree pushed on the wooden frame of the glass door. The name _Spot's _reflected dully on the door in fifties stylized lettering. She was greeted with the wafting scent of ground coffee and burgers.

She meandered up to the register and placed her order, taking her coffee cup and scanning the restaurant. She smiled as she saw Jessica's head stooped low over her laptop, typing wildly.

"_Jessica_," Bree chimed, grinning as Jessica's head popped up, meeting her with wide eyes.

"Bree!" she said hopping up and nearly knocking her over with a hug.

"Whoa, easy there!" Bree chuckled as Jessica released her and slid back into the booth. Jessica released a long sigh, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"I swear, Bree, college is going to be the death of me," she groaned, plopping her head down onto the large wooden table. "I have two thousand more words to write before midnight," she said despairingly, her words muffled by the wood.

"No one said it was going to be this much work…"

Bree gave a low chuckle.

"_Now _you're getting it…" she said, patting Jessica on the shoulder as she stood back up. "Be right back, I'm going to grab some coffee."

Bree moved to the small station where the pre-made coffee resided. She hummed lightly as she filled her cup, dumping in an abundance of cream and sugar.

_I really should cut back on the coffee, _she mused as she stirred her concoction. Her eyes flickered across the counter.

_Dammit, they're out of lids._ She thought with a mental sigh and whipped around to move back to her table. She slammed into something and the coffee sloshed into a solid object. Her jaw dropped in dismay as she looked up at the figure she had run into, his nice suit now splattered with coffee, and his own coffee splattered onto her and on the floor.

"Oh my God….I am _so sorry_," Bree muttered breathlessly, wincing as she felt the burn of the hot coffee on her own skin. She looked up at the tall figure with wide eyes, frozen to the spot. He stared back at her with almost mirrored surprise, regarding her with large brown eyes. She stared like a deer in the headlights. His nice suit and neatly coiffed hair exuded an air of importance.

"Oh…._errmmh.." _ She sputtered as she reached back and set her cup down on the counter, and then grabbed a handful of napkins, and awkwardly patted his suit. She met his eyes and to her surprise he smiled, gently prying the now soggy napkin from her grasp.

"It's alright," he said, reassuringly, smiling. She grabbed a few more napkins.

"I feel so bad. That suit looks nice, I really should have looked first," Bree said, blinking as she stumbled over another apology and handed him the napkins. She glanced back up at him as he caught her hand.

"I said, it's _alright_." He said again, flashing another smile. She shifted awkwardly as he took the napkins from her and released her hand. He patted down the front of the suit. "It's not too noticeable," he ventured amiably, "Nothing that won't wash out."

Bree nodded politely, wiping off her coffee cup with a small smile.

"The name's Harvey, by the way, Harvey Dent," he said, extending his hand. Bree hesitantly reached her hand out and shook his.

"Sorry, my hand's a bit….sticky from the coffee," she laughed, and she heard him chuckle.

"Oh, I'm Brianna Taylor, but you can just call me Bree…" she said, glancing back down at her slightly torn cup.

"Well, Bree, how about….I buy you a new cup of coffee?"

"Oh, _no_, I'm just fine. If anything, I owe you one," she said with a light smile. He reached into his pocket.

"Alright then, how about this: heads I buy you a new cup, tails you buy me one," he said, producing a coin from his pocket with a charismatic grin. She couldn't help but laugh and she gave a shrug as she nodded.

"Okay, but I can't be gone long. My friend other there will start to worry," she quipped.

He flicked the coin into the air and caught it in his palm before turning it onto the back of his hand.

"Oh, look, _heads._ Looks like I'm going to be the one buying you coffee," he said, flashing a dazzling smile. Bree let out a short laugh.

"Alright," she said shaking her head as she tossed her broken cup into the trash.

He came back a moment later, a nicer latte in his hand.

"Thanks, but once again I really think I should have bought you the coffee."

"Ah, ah, ah," he said, pointing upward, "Fate has spoken," he finished.

"It's nice to meet you, Bree, but I've got to run," he said flashing another smile as he waved. She waved back, standing there stupidly, trying to process what had just happened. She blinked for a moment, holding her coffee, before she realized Jessica was still waiting for her in the booth. When she slid back into the booth, facing Jessica, she was silent and simply covered her face with her hands.

Suddenly Jessica burst into laughter.

"Oh, god, what was that?" she said between giggles. "He was _cute_."

"I do have to say, I give myself in _A+ _in awkward interactions," Bree muttered mutely into her hands.

"Is that his number?" Jessica said, pointing to the cup. Bree furrowed her brows, her hands dropping from her face.

"What? No, what are you—"she paused and turned the cup around, seeing a sequence of numbers written on the back, "You've got to be kidding me."

Jessica grinned.

"You should give him a call, he seemed pretty interested."

"You know I don't do that sort of stuff, guys are so needy," Bree laughed. "And emotions are gross."

"Because god forbid you have a human connection," Jessica added with a smile.

"Hey, I can do connections just fine, thank you very much, but work and school keeps me busy," Bree shrugged, staring at the lid of her coffee cup.

"How is work, by the way? I bet GCPD gets a little crazy sometimes."

"Oh, it does I suppose….but I mostly just do some paperwork, run errands," she took a sip of her drink, "…._solve cold cases_…" she added quietly under her breath.

"Sorry, what was that?" Jessica sputtered, nearly spitting out her drink.

"Run errands?"

"No, after that," Jessica shook her head.

"It's nothing, really. A coworker of mine and I just sometimes look over old cases…it's just a bit of fun really, to keep us occupied when it gets slow," Bree said with a long exhale of breath. It wasn't a complete lie, but she didn't want Jessica to spend any time worrying about her.

"Oh, that sounds interesting! So you're making some friends in the precinct?"

Bree couldn't help but to smile.

"Oh, yeah, well….mostly just one. Everyone else just uses me for errands and such," she waved dismissively. "His name's Edward, and while he's a bit of a character, I think you would like him a lot. He's out there, but in a good way," she added, resting her head against her hand as she grinned lazily, her finger tracing the top of her coffee lid.

"I think someone has a crush."

"What? _No_…. I just…like spending time with him, he's fun," Bree said with another light shrug.

"Okay…just be careful. We both know you aren't as emotionless as you're trying to seem," Jessica said with a small smirk as she brushed her bangs out of her face. Bree plopped her head down against the wooden table with a groan.

"_I know_," her muffled voice rang despondently, "Ugghh…_people_."

Jessica leaned forward, her chin resting on her hands.

"So, _Kingdom Hearts _game, and _Labyrinth_ movie night tomorrow night?" she said.

"_You are so on_."

/

The next day, all hell broke loose in GCPD.

The viper drug seemed to have been vastly distributed throughout the streets overnight. Bree had to practically dodge drugged out arrestees as she bolted to the relative safety of her desk on the second floor. She was very hesitant to glance over the railing of the stairs and watch several officers wrestling a viper-strung prostitute to the ground.

"It's _fascinating_, isn't it?"

Bree half-jumped as Edward suddenly appeared, looming over her shoulder. She spun around and faced him.

"_Jeeze_, you scared me!" she said, looking up at him as he straightened up his posture.

"My, apologies," he said, clasping his hands together, "However, it's all quite exciting, dont'cha think?"

Bree glanced back over her shoulder at the chaos downstairs, and back to him.

"I suppose exciting would be an adequate word for it," she said with a slightly anxious laugh, "…but you seem to be enjoying yourself…" she mused, her eyes flickering across his clearly amused face as he watched the officers struggle to maintain control over the precinct. He smiled, his eyes glimmering as they met hers.

"I must admit it is all a bit fun," he said with a small chuckle, "however, what is most intriguing is just how the viper serum works on the victims."

"Yeah, what's up with the whole super strength thing?" she commented, folding her arms across her chest.

"_Well_," he began excitedly, "Somehow the drug makes the user's body burn calcium from their bones as an energy source, which gives them an extra boost of energy and a sense of euphoria. However, their body needs more calcium, hence their extreme craving for dairy products, but they can never consume enough. So, they eventually burn themselves out, their skeletons collapse, and they die!"

"You are very excited about that…" she noted, her head tilted questioningly.

"Well, of course I am, it's amazing! No one has _ever _seen anything like this before. It's _fascinating_."

Despite herself, Bree couldn't help but to smile at his excitement. She pushed the yells and sounds of chaos downstairs to the back of her minds.

"So, do you have any idea who could have produced this kind of stuff?"

"Oh, it would take a very sophisticated lab to produce this form of compound. Just a minute ago I sent Detective Bullock and Detective Gordon in the direction of the chemical company, WelZyn. They're known for having the most state of the art facilities in Gotham," Edward stated, moving and leaning over the rail next to her.

"So, we just wait to see what happens?" Bree said quietly. Edward flashed a knowing smile.

"Not having any regrets about not investigating the case, are we?" he chuckled softly, giving her a sidelong glance.

"No…"

"You don't sound so certain about that," Ed pressed, nudging her with his shoulder. She gave an exasperated sigh.

"I needed a rest, so I don't regret that. I just…don't like sitting on the sidelines."

Edward was quiet for a moment, pensively tapping on the railing. Bree chewed on her lip a moment before she spoke up.

"Are you….alright? You were acting a bit snappy yesterday," she said, turning towards him. He was oddly silent again, but she saw his jaw clench as he pushed off the rail and looked at her. She sighed at his silence.

"Edward, seriously, what's wrong?" she said. He seemed to fidget uncomfortably for a moment before speaking up.

"I-I've just been trying to talk to someone…"

Bree's face lit up, her brows rising.

"Wait….oh….wow," she said, a smile slowly stretching across her face, "Who?"

Edward shrugged nervously, giving a small smile.

"Her name is Kristen….Kristen Kringle," he said giggling lightly. Bree's smile twitched downward slightly, but she continued to smile politely. He didn't seem to notice.

"She works down in record keeping," Edward continued, smiling.

"Oh, wow, office romance. That's crazy," she laughed. He nodded, looking at the floor as he grinned.

"Well, statistically it's just as plausible as any other method of relationship building," he said with a stiff shrug. Bree began to meander back towards her desk, Edward trailing behind her.

"I suppose so," she relented, her fingers brushing the side of her desk as she plopped down in her seat. "Oh, umm…listen, I won't be here for the next few days this next week."

Edward's smile fell.

"Really, why?"

"I have to stay home and work on my thesis…"

"Oh…alright." He said, his tone slightly less chipper. She smiled.

"Think you can hold down the fort without me?" she laughed. A light smile twitched upon his lips once more.

"I shall try to manage," he quipped, turning to leave.

Bree sat quietly at her desk, tapping idly on the wood. She stared at yesterday's coffee cup still perched on the edge of her desk. The numbers glared at her in neat scrawl across the side of the cup. Her hand twitched toward it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

She dialed the number.

**As usual, some delay, but I'm trying to savor the material we have, if you will. I can't believe the finale is coming up this next Monday! I'm not totally caught up with the show, but I want to leave enough room to work with, should things get a little dicey after the finale. I will still try to update regularly. An Ed-centric chapter is on its way!**

**Thank you all for such amazing reviews!**

**March Glen: I'm glad you thought so! I wanted to really make it clear that Bree is still very vulnerable, and despite having trained her whole life with her father, mistakes still happen. That, and she isn't even a proper cop.**

**Jessie Ann: I did want to make Ed's sort of isolation in home life more evident, at least from what I know from the comics. I feel like he's the sort of guy who has a hard time making the connections, but when they are there he latches on and won't let go.**

**Hannibal Not the Cannibal: Wow that is the best possible compliment a writer in my standing can achieve. I'm trying to make her as real as a can, so their relationship is more plausible.**


	8. Chapter 8

**To all my American readers, I do hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!**

"_Detective Bullock! Detective Bullock!"_ Edward said, tapping persistently on Harvey Bullock's shoulder with the rounded tip of his pen, "Do you give up?"

Detective Bullock spun around to face him, a grimace stretched across his face.

"_What?"_ he snapped. Edward lowered the pen slowly.

"My riddle!" he chirped enthusiastically. Harvey's face dropped as Edward continued, "A man has to cross a river with a wolf, a cabbage, and a goat—"

"—Ed, please…what's the time of death?" Harvey interjected, barely turning to look at him.

Edward glanced down at his notebook, flicking through the pages.

"The examiner pegs it just before three this morning—but he's a bit eager with his coagulation markers, so I'd say closer to one," he said, watching Detective Bullock frown as he stooped next to the railing.

"Killer left her identification for us. Amanda Hastings 21 years old…"

"She comes from money…"

"Hmmhhhh," Edward said with a nod, jotting down another note.

"And I'm guessing she was the oldest in her family…"

Edward paused his note taking, pursing his lips as he glanced up at the Detective.

"Why is that…?" he said more quietly, his brows furrowed slightly.

"The Goat always kills the first born. It's all the same. Same MO, same victim choice, presentation it's all the _same_. We've got a copycat," Bullock huffed, standing with his head down and his hands in his pocket. Typically, Edward could not exactly say he prided himself in his ability to read people, but even he could recognize level of distress he saw in Bullock.

"Are you alright, Detective?" Ed ventured as his he regarded the seemingly flustered man.

"No, I'm _not_ alright!" he snapped, "I already solved this case…"

Edward furrowed his brows, looking at Bullock with slight concern. Sure, the man was always angry…but this time it seemed a little different.

"Where's Gordan?" Bullock said, looking down at his phone. Edward's expression lightened.

"Apparently he's not answering his phone," Edward said, a smile stretching across his face as he chuckled softly.

"He's not answering his…you mean, I'm on the clock before the boy scout?"

"It would appear so," he said with a slight nod and smile.

"This is freaking ridiculous…" the detective muttered with a swear under his breath.

"Fine, I'll tell you the answer—" Edward chimed enthusiastically, "so the man crosses the river _with_ the wolf _and_ the cabbage, he _leaves_ the wolf, and he goes back—"

"_—Ed."_ Bullock holds up his hand with a grimace, phone up to his ear. Edward's smile drops and his eyes fall back to his notebook with a frown. He continued to examine the scene for the next few minutes. Eventually, Gordon had found his way to the scene. Bullock turned to Edward as he began the trek to his car.

"And Nygma, let me know when they're set up for the autopsy…"

"Anything in particular you need me to look for—"

"—Just CALL ME!" Harvey cut him, off, moving off the scene with Gordon by his side.

Edward's smile slowly faded, his hand falling stiffly to his side while the other tightly clutched his notebook to his chest.

_Their loss. _He thought bitterly as he watched Bullock and Gordon storm off. With his help he was sure they would solve the case in no time. Of course, there was only so much he could do on his own without the extra resources. He'd prove them wrong though; he would find the missing link in this case, and Bullock and all the other ignoramuses they called officers would finally see his genius.

/

When he eventually found himself back at GCPD, he paced restlessly, moving from his corner of the forensics lab to the nook that Bree typically occupied. He clamped his hands together, rubbing them pensively as he approached her empty desk with a heavy sigh.

His thoughts were jumbled, bouncing around in his head at lightning speed. He wanted, no he _needed _to say them aloud to hone them, to focus them into something more useful. However, every time a new idea sparked inside his head, he found himself rushing over to Bree's desk only to be reminded of her absence once more. His hands found their way to his temple, rubbing vicariously in an attempt to soothe his restless mind.

He had no problem with this before. Perhaps he had gotten too used to the delight of sharing his ideas with an actual willing listener. Going back to the silence was nearly deafening; _doable, _but rather more difficult than anticipated.

However, he just had to try. The real question was _who _might listen. He tapped the empty desk pensively before he snapped his fingers, a smile stretching across his face as he thought of a certain strawberry blond that worked down in archives. _That's it!_

He nearly skipped down the stairs at the prospect of wooing her with his intellectual insight about the case at hand. He found himself fighting the urge to run down the stairs and through the hallway to the archival room. A goofy grin graced his features as he reached for the knob and pushed the door open.

He walked in just as she spun around to head out the door. She slowed to a stop.

"Mr. Nygma…"she greeted him dryly.

"Ms. Kringle," he said with a smile and a polite bow. She held the files tightly to her chest as she walked forward, her heels clicking softly on the marbled floors. Edward couldn't help but to lean forward and try to catch her scent as she passed. He sighed softly. _Lilac_.

He notice her reach for the doorknob and he realized he was about to lose his window of opportunity.

"So, I'm just looking for all the information you have on the Goat murders from ten years ago," he began, slowing to a stop next to a file cabinet. He yanked out one of the drawers. "Don't you find it curious why someone would resurrect the myth of a centuries-old boogieman?" he said, his fingers skimming the tops of the files.

"And what _is_ it about the Goat that has made two separate people kill in his name?" he asked, gesturing with his hands and giving a shrug.

"No, I don't find it curious…" she said pointedly, looking back at Edward with a light frown. She turned back to the door.

"I think I would like your parents," he interjected, before she grasped the knob.

"Excuse me?" she turned back, regarding him with narrowed eyes. Her horn-rimmed glasses glinted in the florescent light. He smiled.

"_Kringle_, such a rare surname…most people changed it generations ago, out of embarrassment," he said, turning and propping his arm atop the file cabinet, "But not only did your parents keep it—they called you _Kristen_. _Kristen Kringle_. They must be very humorous people.—_Humor_ is _so _important, don't you think?" he said with a large smile. She stared at him a moment, and blinked as she looked away.

"Remember, you have to sign out any evidence you pull…" she said quietly.

"How do you find anything at all in here? I mean, organizationally speaking, this place is in _shambles_…" he said, looking around the room. Suddenly, her demeanor shifted, her eyes narrowing as she slowly strode back up to him.

"_I am warning you, Nygma. _I have everything exactly where I want it. I know where everything is…._understand?_" she remarked lowly, a thinly veiled threat laced in her tone.

"Naturally….bu_t_, I can help you…_Kristen Kringle_," he said, folding his hands in front of him as she moved closer to him. His heart fluttered slightly as she neared. _Oh_, she was close enough to _touch_!

"I doubt that _very _much…" she said, her eyes flickering up his form before meeting his. With a light whip of her ponytail, she turned and sauntered to the door. His gaze followed her as she pushed it open.

"There really is a better way to do this…" he muttered to himself after the door clicked shut. He figured when she had first gotten the job the previous file keeper had handed the disorderly files down to Kristen and she had never bothered to fix it. Poor thing, having to learn where everything was in such a unkempt fashion.

Just then an ingenious plan sprung about in his head. What if he were to take the time and arrange her files in a way that made systematic sense? Perhaps mathematical? He pondered this a moment before swiftly tossing the idea. No, he figured she may prefer a more organic, hierarchal approach.

"Aha! Lateral expansion!" he snapped, smiling giddily at the prospect of earning her affection through such a considerate act.

He plopped down on the floor and began his work…

/

The delicate _click _of the door made his ears perk up and he swung his head towards the sound. He looked up as he heard a sudden gasp and the dropping of a stack of papers. He grinned, meeting her gaze.

"Oh, my god…" she muttered.

"I'm improving your system! Implementing a rhizomatic index, with your case files classified by subject, but arranged more like the way a peat moss organism gross. You know…_laterally_."

He smiled and gestured with his hands, spreading his fingers outward.

"I had this entire room organized…" she said, still clutching the box of files as she crept forward.

"Yes, but now it will be rhizomatic…_lateral_," he made his hand gesture once more.

His smile fell as she dropped the box with a loud _thump._

"_What_ did I _ever _do to you, Nygma! What did I ever do that makes you come here with your endless notes, and suggestions, and _riddles, my God—the riddles!_" she shouted.

"Are you trying to get me to quit?" she asked softly, her brow furrowed. Edward muttered a _no_, scrambling to his feet. "You can't want my job…"

"No, no, no! I want you!" he said, flinging his arms desperately. Her face contorted in a mix of anger and confusion, and Edward stared at her with wide eyes.

"….to _keep_ your job….and to have it, _here_….for working," he finished, furrowing his brows and pursing his lips as he tried to save his poorly-timed confession. His lips pressed into a tight line as she closed her eyes, folding her arms tightly across her chest. He felt a pang of remorse and he swallowed stiffly.

"Okay….I'm getting the sense….that this was somehow…._inappropriate_," he ventured carefully. She looked up at him, frowning, and her hand clutching her sweater across her chest.

"_You_ are _so…odd."_

He looked downcast as he shuffled over a pile of files.

"I'll just take my non-hierarchical data paradigms out of your hair….and leave you to your work," he said quietly, stepping over the stacks of files. He tripped over one pile as he passed her, causing her to jump slightly. As he reached the door, he looked back once more, his lips pressed into a tight line. She didn't even bother looking up at him. His eyes flickered to the floor and he took his leave.

"_You _are so…._odd._"

His tight-lipped frown deepened as he closed the door behind him.

_That didn't quite go as planned… _

He mused silently, his tall frame hunched and his eyes downcast. His throat bobbed as he gave a hard swallow, trying to mask his disappointment. Wordlessly, he made his way to his small corner of the forensics lab, avoiding eye contact with everyone….Not that they said a word to him anyway. Every step felt a little heavier than usual, his mind clouded by her words.

_"You are so…..odd."_

He slid his glasses off of his face as he sat down in his little dim lit corner, and rubbed his forehead. He reached down and idly knocked the small metal pendulum perched on the desk, watching the tiny spheres collide against each other. Yes, he knew he was a little different than everyone else, but it wasn't as if it was something he could help. It was simply how his brain was wired. Yet….he always tried _so hard_; trying to gain the approval of Kristen, of his peers…. of everyone.

A light rap on the door made him freeze. He raised his head, glancing at the door.

"Come in…" he said flatly. He saw the knob rattle slightly before the door cracked open. A familiar face peered through.

"Edward?" Bree chimed, leaning inside with a smile. He reflected her smile dimly, it not quite reaching the crinkles around his eyes.

"Ms. Taylor," he said softly with a nod. Bree's smile slowly faded as she stepped inside, letting the door close behind her with a soft _click_. He saw her eyes flicker across his face with scrutiny as she stepped closer, her arms crossed across her chest.

"Ed…are you okay?" she asked as she stopped next to him, grabbing the rolling chair from the counter beside him and plopping down. Her dirty blond tresses fell in a disheveled halo of curls, illuminated softly by the soft fluorescents as she leaned forward, concern painted across her features. For a moment he was slightly taken aback by her question. It wasn't her question that was innately surprising….but the simple matter that for once it was directed at him.

He smiled softly, the light catching the shadows on his face, exaggerating his features.

"No…"

"What happened?" she asked.

"Whoever said something happened?"

Bree shrugged.

"No one, but judging by your reaction, something did, didn't it?"

His lips twitched upward a fraction, genuinely this time.

"I tried to impress Kristen…"

Bree's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh no…what did you do?"

He sighed.

"I just…tried to reorganize her filing system. I was trying to help! I arranged it more in the way a peat moss organism grows, you know…._laterally,_" he said with an elaborate gesture of his hands. Bree chuckled, her head falling in her hands as she groaned lightly.

"_Edwaaaaaard_…you can't just do that!" she said, looking back up at him. He frowned.

"Well, I know that now, _evidently_," he muttered admonishingly, "Even if my system would have been far more logical."

Bree snorted a short laugh.

"I bet it would, but would it be for her, if she didn't know how it was organized? It would take forever to find anything; she wouldn't know where to start!"

"_I _could show her."

"I bet you could…but how did she react?"

He frowned again, reaching down and grabbing his glasses.

"She…was rather cold in her assessment…" he said flatly, his lips pressed into a tight line. He slid his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and glanced at the question mark mug perched on the edge of his desk. Bree was quiet for a moment, and when he looked back at her, her eyes flickered across his face. She looked down, tapping her knee pensively.

"You know….you're never going to please everyone. There's always going to be somebody that you have to deal with that may not like you. That's just how it is. But…the way I see it, there's no point in hanging around people that don't make you feel good about yourself," Bree said softly, a small smile creeping across her face.

"And maybe…you don't need to waste your time with people like her."

His brows rose slightly as he regarded her as if she was some strange creature from another world.

"Then who should I _waste _my time with? People like you?" he inquired. Bree shrugged with a small smirk lingering on her lips.

"That depends, do _I_ make you feel good about yourself?" she raised an eyebrow challengingly.

He stared at her for a moment, trying to gauge her.

"Yes….I…I suppose you do."

Bree smiled. She slowly moved to stand.

"_Well_, there you have it then," she said, giving a light wave of her hand as she turned and walked towards the door.

He cleared his throat softly as he watched her take her leave. He didn't look away until the door swung shut behind her.

"Yes…._there_ you have it," he said quietly to himself, a grin slowly stretching across his face as he reclined back in his chair.

/

Later, he found himself pleasantly surprised and in good spirits when Detective Bullock asked for assistance in narrowing down the suspect pool of the Goat murders. He hummed light heartedly as he took a sip out of his new favorite mug and sauntered over to the autopsy table.

"Raymond Earl," he quipped with a smile, taking a sip from his mug. His chest swelled with pride as the detectives moved out to hunt down Earl. _They_ had gone to _him_. Could it be that they were finally beginning to recognize his brilliance? He smiled as he moved from the autopsy lab towards the main precinct. An idea swept into his mind.

He found himself jaunting up the stairs just in time to see Bree standing from her desk, pulling her long coat around her shoulders, readying to leave.

"Do _you _think that it's interesting that two different people would resurrect a centuries-old buggy man and kill in his name?" Edward chimed, walking up to her desk. Bree half-gasped in surprise before raising her eyebrows questioningly.

"Ed! Well, yes, it is rather curious by nature," she said with a laugh, a small smile.

"Those were my sentiments as well," he said in a tone resembling relief. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh…hey, there," she chuckled, into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his lean form. She let him hold her for another moment before she gently tested his grip.

"Edward…I _do_ have to go home now," she said delicately, her voice muffled by his suit. He muttered a quick so_rry_ as he released her. She smiled.

"See you later, Ed," she said, wrapping her scarf around her neck and grabbing her bags.

He smiled softly as he watched her leave, his fingers idly tracing the chipped wood of her desk.

"Well, _there _you have it…" he said quietly.

** This is certainly an experimental chapter, playing aro****und with Edward's point of view some, since the last chapter was lacking an abundance of Edward. Sorry for any grammatical errors, I finished this at an ungodly hour in the morning so that is prone to happen.**

** Thanks for all of the awesome reviews! Keep it up, I love hearing from you all!**


	9. Chapter 9

Slamming her laptop shut, Bree groaned, her head falling dejectedly onto the kitchen counter in her flat.

_Done. _She thought with a sigh, pushing herself up off the counter after another moment.

The whole ordeal took much more time than she had anticipated. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from waiting till the last possible moment to work on it. She had eaten through the better part of her off days at the precinct, and still had only just finished it. Still, it was nice to give an interlude to her thesis work and go to see the latest buzz at the precinct was. She swung open the refrigerator door, snatching the eggs and cheese.

_Nothing like a good omelet and tea to soothe the nerves_. She mused, humming lightly as she plopped them on the counter and rummaged through her cabinet for the pans. She froze as she heard her phone buzz, causing her heart to leap. She cursed quietly, urging herself not to leap at it. Biting her lip, she tried to calmly walk around the counter towards the phone. It was probably Jessica, or perhaps her mother anyway…

She had called Harvey days before and left a message. She hadn't heard anything sense and assumed he wasn't actually interested….but she also was never really the one to make the first call. In fact, she hadn't really talked to many guys in a date scenario, so really she wasn't quite sure how it was done. It took a burst of courage to press call and leave that message, but she had marginally regretted it sense. She hated not knowing.

With a deep breath, she picked up the phone.

"_Hello_?"

"_Hey, is this Brianna?"_

Her stomach dropped.

"Ah, yes, yes it is!" she said, brandishing her spatula in her free hand. She heard a light chuckle over the line.

"Well hey, this is Harvey. Sorry I missed your call. I've been meaning to get back to you, but things have been a bit crazy in city hall lately…" he trailed off.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," she said dismissively, "You work in city hall?"

"Yeah, I'd love to show you around some time," he said with a good natured chuckle, "I have an office and everything."

Bree smiled.

"If you insist," she laughed.

"So….what do you say we get together tomorrow afternoon? Coffee? I know you at least like that," he added. Bree chewed on her lip briefly

"Yeah, that would be great!" she said after a moment, "I'll call you after I get off work."

"Great! See you then."

She stared at her phone for a good thirty seconds before she snapped it shut, shaking her head.

_"Come on….get your shit together, Bree…"_ she muttered to herself, turning on the stove and reaching for the eggs.

/

"_Feed me and I live, give me a drink and I die. What am I?"_

"Why do I feel like _now_ you're going easy on me?" Bree said, narrowing her eyes slightly in mock-suspicion.

"Well, that is certainly not the answer, I can tell you that," Edward quipped, locking his hands behind his back, "Or I can give you a harder one, if you like?"

Bree quickly shook her head.

"No, no, no….I'm not complaining, just observing…..I'd say…it's _fire_?"

"Correct!" he beamed, leaning his lanky form over her desk.

"What case are you working on his time?"

Bree looked down to her desk and sighed, eyeing the papers with distain.

"None…unfortunately. Some lazy cops didn't file their paperwork so I'm going back and reorganizing it," she said before furrowing her brows. "Just out of curiosity, how do you always have time to come and talk to me for so long every day?"

"Oh, my actual work, I finish quite fast. Everything else is in fact extraneous additions I give myself to stay busy!" he said with a wide grin. Just then, a man with short cut hair and a standard suit passed by and Ed nearly jumped.

"Detective Gordon! _Detective Gordon!"_ he called out after the man. However, the man seemed rather focused, his face stern as he walked down the stairs. Bree furrowed her brows as Edward turned back towards her with a frown.

"Normally I don't indulge myself in nagging gut feelings….but I can't help but think that Detective Gordon is in a spot of trouble…" Edward trailed off.

"What makes you say that….?" Bree said, catching his gaze uneasily.

"Well….after you left yesterday, a man known as Oswald Cobblepot appeared at the precinct. Apparently Montoya and Allan from the MCU thought Gordon killed that man…..that is…until he showed up."

"That's ridiculous!" she said, folding her arms. She glanced down the stairs at Gordon, who seemed to be discussing something with Captain Essen.

"I know….he's probably one of the few good cops in this room," Ed conceded, looming over her shoulder as she stood and moved to the railing.

"I wonder wh—"

_"Hello everyone…my name is Victor Zsasz. I'm sent here personally by Don Carmine Falcone himself on a matter of deep concern for him. I am here for Jim Gordon and no one else….thank you. Hey, Jim! Jiiiiiiiiim."_

Bree's wide eyes met Edward's for the briefest moment before spinning around and looking down the stairs at the man standing on an officer's desk…

In the corner of her eye, she saw Edward begin to move. She shot her arm out, catching him by the sleeve.

"_Ed_…." She said quietly, pulling him back to where he stood. Her eyes remained locked on Zsasz's figure and the two women she presumed to be his assistants who stood behind him.

The entire precinct was deadly silent as Jim Gordon stepped out from Captain Essen's office and faced off with the stranger.

"_Hi Jim…_" the bald man in black waved with a dark smile, "Relax…I'm supposed to take you in alive. Don Falcone wants to talk…"

"Tell Falcone we'll talk…but not today," Gordon replied brusquely.

"Don't…_be _that way…" the man in black's jaw clenched and he flexed his hands. "Alive is a very broad category. A man with no hands is still alive."

"Go ahead, try something. There are at least a dozen cops in here," Jim Gordon's voice boomed out over the silence.

"_Everybody out," _the man in black said evenly, not turning away from Gordon. Only a few people shifted and Bree stepped back slightly from the railing.

"_Please?_" the man growled in a sudden shout, causing the room to clear quickly. The officers shuffled to the nearest exit. Bree's brows furrowed.

"I can't believe it…" she whispered under her breath.

Gordon's face remained that of sheer determination. Bree saw him mutter something to Captain Essen, and after hesitating a moment, she left his side as well. The tension was palpable as the men stared at each other. Bree slowly stepped back, towards the frozen Ed behind her.

She gasped as the first shot shattered the silence and echoed through the precinct.

"_Get down!"_ she shouted, pushing Edward away from the railing and tackling him to the ground. Edward's eyes were wide with shock as they lay on the floor next to her desk, Bree still atop him.

"Rule one…get low," she said quietly, her head dropping onto Edward's chest as more shots echoed through the large hall.

"We need to help him!" Edward whispered desperately, attempting to sit up.

_"No!_ _You can help later, but you won't be much help if you get shot!" _she retorted, shoving him back to the ground.

"Okay…yikes, no need to be so forceful."

"Oh, shut it. We're in the middle of a _goddamn shootout_."

There was the clattering of doors, then the sound of gunshots more distant than before. Then an eerie calm engulfed the precinct.

Bree realized she had been holding her breath and exhaled shakily. She realized her head still rested atop Edward's chest and her body was practically sprawled over him. With her ear pressed against his chest, she felt the light pitter-patter of his heart before she tentatively sat up, scanning the room.

No one remained.

"They're gone…" she breathed. Her eyes flickered around once more as she climbed off of Edward.

"Sorry about that," she muttered as she scrambled to her feet and turned back to him with her hand extended. He seemed slightly flustered, through from the events or scenario she couldn't tell.

He took her hand and sprang up from the ground. She saw his jaw clench as he looked over the railing. Papers were strewn about, and an assortment of brass casings and shattered glass decorated the floor. The scene seemed unsettlingly surreal, and gave the precinct a ghost-town like quality.

"W-we should try to find the Captain…or someone," she heard Edward speak from behind her as she couldn't face the scene any longer and turned to her desk. She nodded silently, spinning back towards him with her arms folded across her chest.

"Let's go…"

They moved down the staircase, beginning to see movement from behind doors. Somber faces peered through windows, checking to see if the visitors had left.

_Cowards._

Bree thought brusquely, her lips pressed together with distaste. However, soon after she felt a tug of regret.

_They were just trying to save their own skins…I didn't jump in to save him either…_

She mused, kicking a casing on the floor as they reached the main level. Broken glass crunched under her boots.

_But I'm not an officer. I haven't sworn any oaths to protect my own._

The internal debate raged on within her, split between a slight level of sympathy and a higher level of disappointment in the officers she had held in high regard.

"Captain!" Edward's voice rang out in the silent precinct, pulling Bree out of her reverie. Bree raised her gaze to find Captain Essen wandering towards them, her arms folded tightly across her chest. A deep frown fell upon her features, making her seem much older, and wearier than any other time she had seen her. She nodded toward them, slowing to a stop.

"Captain…" Bree said softly. Essen's eyes rested on her.

"I think you should go home, Ms. Taylor. You've seen enough for today," Captain Essen said tiredly. Bree's eyes flickered downcast as she nodded silently. The Captain looked up, past her.

"Ed…you can go too. I think we have enough mess to keep up with," she said with a sigh, walking past them.

Bree looked back up, her eyes widening slightly, and then glanced at Edward. He fidgeted in his spot, his arms hanging stiffly by his sides as he furrowed his eyebrows.

She exhaled unevenly. She moved back up the stairs to her workspace and grabbed her belongings and coat. When she arrived back at the front of the precinct she found that Edward seemed to be waiting for her.

"Okay….well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," she said to him with a soft smile, turning toward the front door.

"Actually—could I walk you home? Or back to your apartment, or wherever you're going…?" Edward began, stumbling over his words as he called out behind her. Bree paused, and pivoted back towards him with a quirked brow. Edward blinked a few times before looking down.

"…..Sorry, never mind. Forget I even asked—"

"—Yes."

` "Wait…did you mean—"

"Yes! Come on, genius, let's try to beat the rain," she quipped with a lopsided grin, glad to find something to distract from the somber atmosphere of the precinct. She looped her arm around his and tugged a bewildered Edward towards the door. She had decided there was something incredibly satisfying about surprising someone who always presumed to know so much. Perhaps that was why she enjoyed pushing his buttons to see what would bewilder him the most.

She released his arm as she pushed open the door into the brisk Gotham air.

"So, why the sudden need to walk me home?" Bree laughed, but it felt empty, like she was trying to completely forget what she had witnessed minutes before. It felt good to act normal, even if she knew she could never look at the cops in the precinct the same again.

Bree's eyes flickered to Ed as he walked silently, giving a light shrug.

"It's safe to say I spend the vast majority of my time at the precinct…I almost am not sure what to do with extra time off…" he confessed, looking ahead as she led the way. She smiled softly, thinking of the time they had spent together investigating and the realization that was likely a bigger deal to him than she had previously thought.

"Okay…but you aren't _always _at the precinct. What do you usually do with your time off?"

He looked down as he smiled, giggling softly.

"Well…crossword puzzles….video games. Oh, wow, I _love _video games," he added, his smile broadening as he waved one of his arms, the other one clutching his small brown notebook tightly to his chest. "I think each one presents a unique challenge."

Bree pursed her lips together, nodding.

"I usually play for the storylines…" she commented. He nearly skidded to a stop, his eyes shooting up to hers.

"You _play_?" he said excitedly.

She raised her eyebrows and gave a meek shrug.

"Marginally…I'm not super great at it, but it's fun."

They slowed to a halt by the bus stop.

Edward smiled giddily.

"It just takes practice….maybe we should get together some time and I could show you some pointers!"

Bree couldn't help but to laugh as they climbed onto the bus.

"Sure, that would be great."

They chattered amiably on the short ride across town. It wasn't long before they arrived on the doorstep to her complex. She found it amusing that they had already saved each other's lives and he hadn't ever even seen her flat.

"Hey….thanks for walking be back….I needed that," Bree confessed with a sigh, "It's been a stressful day for everyone."

Ed smiled, giving her a nod.

"It has been quite….unusual."

"Well, unusual seems to have become the new usual for Gotham," she chuckled, stepping forward and giving him a quick hug. "See ya!"

She disappeared through the door before he stuttered a reply.

/ / /

Bree plopped down onto her unmade bed with a groan. She laid there a moment, still in her work clothes, letting her hair sprawl out messily over the pillows. She stared blankly at the ceiling, reveling in the nothingness after such an exhausting day. She fought the urge to rub her temple as her head throbbed with unanswered questions. Her eyes fluttered closed with a sigh.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her eyes shot open.

_Harvey._

"Shit," she muttered, rolling over and fishing her phone from her pants pocket. She clicked the receive call button and her voice brightened several notes.

"_Hey!"_ she chimed, sounding more cherry than she felt as she rubbed her forehead.

"_Hey, Bree! We're still on for this afternoon, right?" _Harvey's voice sounded through the phone.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely. I'm sorry, I meant to call you earlier, but it's been a really weird day," she said with a light chuckle as she sat up.

"No, that's fine. I'm just getting out of the office. Say we meet at Rochester park in twenty minutes or so?"

"Yeah, that would be great! I'll see you then," she said with a soft smile.

"Great!"

The line went dead and Bree limply dropped her hand onto her bed. She swung her legs off the side of her bed and blinked, trying to regain her composure at the sudden shift of gravity.

_God, I need some coffee._ She mused, moving across the large room of her flat to the kitchen side. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him….she just felt a little too exhausted to put up a good front for a guy she met once. Still, her stomach fluttered a little that

She didn't really go on many dates….actually she didn't really go out much at all. Recently, it seemed that she was so focused on making the right steps career-wise that she paid little attention to anything else. That is, aside from meeting up with people for an absurd amount of coffee, and occasionally bringing her medical school friends lunch.

_Surely one date won't hurt. _She thought, rolling her neck as she grabbed a glass of water. She gulped it down and hurried out the door.

/ / /

The sun peaked out behind the breaking overcast of the Gotham sky. It had warmed up significantly from earlier in the day, but Bree still hugged her coat tightly to herself as she arrived in the park. Her eyes flickered about, idly watching fellow park-dwellers and the occasional homeless person.

"Bree!"

Suddenly, she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Instinctually, she spun around, her hand latching onto the offending wrist. She looked up, her eyes meeting a wide-eyed Harvey's.

"Oh!" she said dumbly, her face flushing slightly as she realized she had his arm in a vice-grip.

"Whoa, easy there," he said with a good natured laugh. His large eyes sparkled with amusement as she slowly released his wrist. He smiled. "Glad to see you could make it."

"Yeah…sorry about that…you know, you can never be too careful in Gotham," she said, clearing her throat as she shoved her hands back into her pockets.

"Well then, I pity the mugger who has to go toe to toe with you," he said, a playful smirk on his lips.

She returned his smile with an uneasy laugh.

_At least I didn't punch him or something. That would make for an awkward date._

"What do you say we grab that coffee we talked about?"

"That would be wonderful."

/ / /

Conversation flowed freely as they sat in a small booth by the window. Harvey had a sort of natural charisma that created seamless transitions from one topic to the next. Bree had to admit, it _was_ rather refreshing to not have to work so hard for conversation. And _yet_….she couldn't help but to feel as if it was almost _too_ easy for him. There seemed to be a lingering note in the back of her mind; the persisting question of how much of his front was him and how much was just _that, a front_.

However, she didn't ponder it too deeply as she laughed at another one of his jokes.

"So, what about this crazy day at work you keep mentioning?" he asked lightly, taking another long sip of his coffee. She bit back a sigh, her smile slowly drooping.

"Yeah….I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but I work down at GCPD."

Harvey raised his eyebrows, setting his drink back down.

"I'm just an intern," she waved dismissively, "but I don't know if you heard about the little fiasco this afternoon…"

"You know…I actually think I may have. A man came in for James Gordon, didn't he?"

"That's right…it was a little overwhelming. I had never seen a live shootout before, and I was on the ground of the second floor," she said with a sigh. It was only half a lie. Harvey's eyes widened a fraction.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay."

Bree smiled lightly, reaching for her cup.

"I really shouldn't be surprised though. Things like that are always possibilities in law enforcement, especially in this city," she said with a shrug. "So, you work down at city hall? What do you do, run errands, grab coffee?" she took a sip from her cup.

"I'm a city councilman."

She nearly spit out her coffee.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," she sputtered, setting down her cup and reaching for the napkins, "Wow, I'm an idiot, I didn't mean it like that. I just assumed because you're so young—"

Harvey put up a single finger, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Don't worry about it. I know what you meant," he said reassuringly.

She groaned quietly and let her head fall on her hand propped up on the table, her hair falling messily into her face. He laughed as she peered up at him through her fingers.

After a moment, she sat back up, snatching back up her cup with eyes narrowed slightly, trying to keep a straight face as she made eye contact with him and drained the rest of her coffee. He raised his eyebrows challengingly. She plopped the empty cup back onto the wooden table with a light _plunck._ They stared at each other a moment before she gave up and cracked a smile, looking down at her lap.

"I should probably head back soon…" she mused as she glanced out the window at the now dark sky. When she looked back, Harvey was grabbing his coat.

They moved outside, the stinging chill hitting her cheeks once more. She turned to face Harvey.

"Well, hey…I had a good time. I hope I didn't totally bore you with my less than exciting antics. It's been a pleasure," she said with a lopsided grin.

"Absolutely not," he quipped, taking hold of her hand with a light squeeze, "The pleasure was mine," he added, smiling softly. He leaned down, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. He released her hand, his fingers brushing against hers as it slid back to his side. Bree didn't know what else to do, so she nodded silently. She couldn't fully blame her slight flush on the cold.

"See you around," she said with a smile as she started to back away. She turned her back to him, making her way back to her flat.

"I'll give you a call!" he shot back at her. She didn't even turn around, but smiled softly to herself.

"At least you didn't accidently hit him in the face…" she muttered to herself, shaking her head softly as she trekked down the block. She shoved her hands in her pockets and watched the wisps of her breath trail out into the brisk air like small ghosts against the breeze.

* * *

><p><strong>You are all fantastic and beautiful. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, and It's been crazy with finals and such, but I hoped you liked this nice long one!<strong>

**Also, I have an 8tracks playlist for this story up. My username there is **

**Ofmonstersandmagpies**

**Feel free to PM me if you want the full list without having to go through the whole playlist, and it's also up on the Bree blog.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Snow._

Scattered flakes gently wafted through the breeze drifting through the frigid night air. The icy bits landed with light stings on Bree's wind-burnt cheeks as she gripped her coat more tightly into her form and tucked her chin lower into her scarf. She clutched a bottle of champagne to her chest as she hurried to the address on the notecard. She had never been one for work functions, but it was Christmas, and she hadn't been to a good holiday party in some time. It seemed flattering that anyone even bothered inviting her, considering her lingering status as an intern.

Her eyes flickered upward towards a large brick building as she slowed to a stop. Through the white wisps of her breath, she glanced at the building number, comparing it to the card in her hand before nearly skipping up the steps. She fumbled with the bottle as she reached out and rang the doorbell. Muffled voices and various other noises could be heard through the door.

After a moment, the door swung open to reveal a slightly intoxicated Detective Bullock, leaning on the door and grinning lopsidedly. He spread his arms widely in a welcoming fashion, his drink sloshing slightly.

"_Heyyyyyy_, it's the intern! Glad you could make it!" he said with a beaming smile. "_And_, you brought more _booze_! I knew you were a good one, kid," he added, taking the bottle from her hands and stumbling slightly into the hallway away from the door. Bree bit back a laugh as she followed Bullock into a larger room, crowded with officers out of uniform.

She smiled softly as her eyes met a few officers' eyes and they nodded politely in her direction. She began to slightly regret her decision to come after all. This sort of small-talk function certainly was _not_ her forte.

_Shake it off, and just go for it._ She mused silently to herself, deciding to push through and socialize anyway. There was a high likelihood that everyone else there had also only come out of social obligation. She put a smile and gave her best attempt at chatting amiably over wine and oeuvres that no one really ever became full over.

After a few minutes it seemed to become easier. She even had the chance to put a few names that she had seen on paper to faces. However, she wasn't sure if it was the small talk that became easier, or the wine that made it easier. As she took a bite from a mini-sandwich, she glanced up and noticed a familiar figure looming in the corner of the room. She tossed her paper plate into the garbage and wandered over.

"Ed?"

The tall, lanky man looked up from his empty plate. She smiled as his eyes widened slightly as they met hers.

"Bree!" he said with a smile, raising his head.

"I didn't think you would come, I figured you wouldn't like this sort of thing," she admitted with a light shrug. His smile only twitched downward slightly as he pondered this a moment, and he seemed to simply reply with his own small shrug.

"Typically I would, but I don't usually get invited to a lot of these sorts of social functions…"

"Well, hey, most people don't really like them anyway," she reassured him with a light smile, a pang of guilt shooting through her. "I'm glad you came though, it's nice to know that I won't have to have awkward small talk the entire night," she commented, looking over her shoulder at the small crowd of detectives and officers. When she looked back at Ed, she noticed him shuffling awkwardly in his spot. She laughed quietly as she noticed a small Christmas tree button pinned to his usual grey suit jacket.

"Interesting plant, mistletoe; _did you know_ that it is actually a hemi-_parasite_ that latches onto trees? The tradition of actually kissing under mistletoe was derived from old Druid, and later Norse tradition that found its way into English society in the 18th and 19th century…." Edward rambled uncomfortably as his eyes lingered above the doorway they had found themselves under. Suddenly, she realized why he was acting flustered as she glanced up at the item he eyed above their heads.

"Of course, the original tradition was that every time someone kissed under it, they would remove a berry. When there were no berries left, there would be no more kisses…" he trailed off, directing his gaze back down towards her. He chuckled quietly. "This mistletoe doesn't even have any berries on it. It may as well just be a bush hanging from string."

An unidentifiable emotion shot through her as he looked down at his feet, clearing his throat. It was an odd cocktail of relief and disappointment.

"Yeah, I doubt I'd even be able to tell what it was if it wasn't dangling over the doorway," she laughed uneasily. "Hey…It's pretty crowded in here, are there any other rooms we're allowed to go in?"

Edward pursed his lips together, adjusting his glasses slightly as he pushed open the slightly ajar door and peered into the unoccupied room

"I suppose this is fair game…"

They wandered through the doorway, and Bree peeked inside the dimly lit room. It was dark aside from a few candles, sending warm light cascading across the room and illuminating an old-looking grand piano.

"Are we allowed to go in here?"

"Since when have you ever cared about trespassing?" he rebuked flatly, sending her an admonishing look over his shoulder.

"I don't want to be _rude_…"

"I'm assuming we should be fine, considering the music and that they even bothered lighting the room."

"Oh, fine," she relented, wandering over to the piano in the corner of the room. She trailed a finger atop the old wood, delicately lifting the cover over the keys.

"Do you play?" Edward inquired from behind her. She snorted a small laugh and shook her head.

"Not really….I think I may have taught myself one song via YouTube but that is definitely the extent of my musical experience," she admitted with a wry smirk, "Okay….well that's sort of a lie. I used to do church choir back in high school."

"_You _were in a church choir?" Edward laughed, a smile spreading across his face as he neared the bench.

"Well, yeah, what's that supposed to mean?" she retorted, "Do _you _play?"

"Actually, I do."

Bree raised her brows with a small smile.

"Alright, let's hear some then."

"Only if I can hear a choir song," he quipped good-naturedly. She shot him a glare that could freeze hell over. To her surprise, he held her gaze, a smirk playing on his lips. She narrowed her eyes slightly and relented.

_When did he decide to get ballsy? _She pondered silently and cursed under her breath.

"Oh, _fine," _she conceded, taking a seat on the bench, "But you're playing…"

"But I don't know the tune…"

"—I'll write it down, it's only a few chords. Do you have a pen on you?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Of course he did—he _always_ had a pen on him.

True to her deduction, he reached into his pocket and produced his notebook and a pen.

She hesitated as he handed them to her and stared at him warily.

"Are you sure you want me to write in in your notebook….?" She let her words hang as she looked questioningly into his eyes. She knew he took the notebook everywhere with him and it seemed to mean a lot to him. He pressed his lips together briefly as he silently shook his head.

"It's fine…"

"_Okaaaaaaayy_ then," she laughed quietly as she flicked open the leather cover and flipped to the back for a blank page. She uncapped the pen and began to scrawl the rough chord progressions into a corner of the page, not wanting to take up too much space in his prized notebook.

"So, did you have any particular Christmas traditions back home?" she chatted amiably as she wrote.

"We never really celebrated…"

"Oh….well that's fine too! Does your family get together or anything?"

"I don't really _know_….they don't really talk to me….maybe they do, but I don't think so," he said quietly. Her hand paused as she slowly looked up. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes downcast. She gently handed back his notebook and pen.

"Here you go…" she said quietly, not quite sure how to respond to that. Sure, her own family had its issues, but at the end of the day she knew people still cared for her…

She watched Edward as he slid onto the bench next to her, his hands spread dexterously over the keys and falling into a position that seemed as natural to him as breathing. He struck the first chord, looking over to her for affirmation that it was indeed correct. She nodded silently, scooting up further on the bench. She took a shaky breath, an odd nervousness taking hold of her.

"_Our families huddle closely, betting warmth against the cold_

_And our bruises seem to surface_

_Like mud beneath the snow…"_

She began, watching as Edward's hands danced across the keys. She could feel his eyes baring down on her as she paused and continued softly.

"_So we sing carols softly,_

_As sweet as we know;_

_A prayer that our burdens will lift as we go._

_Like young love still waiting under mistletoe._

_We welcome December with tireless hope."_

With each line she found herself slowly regretting her song choice. She had always found it beautiful with its striking sense of poetic honesty, but she wasn't quite sure if it was what he should hear after his most recent admission to her…..but then again she could never really figure him out.

"_Let our bells keep on ringing_

_Making angels in the snow_

_And may the melody disarm us_

_When the cracks begin to show…_

_And like the petals in our pockets_

_May we remember who we are:_

_Unconditionally cared for_

_By those who share our broken hearts…"_

For the briefest moment, she looked up and met his eyes. She dared herself to stare back, but she couldn't handle the sudden level of vulnerability behind his wide dark eyes, and she stared back at the paper resting above the keys.

"_The table is set and all glasses are full._

_Though pieces go missing, may we still feel whole._

_We'll built new traditions in place of the old_

_Because life without revision will silence our souls."_

Bree looked at him closely for a moment, noting his jaw clench slightly as his lips pressed into a straight line. She scooted closer to him on the bench and looped her arm around his elbow. She leaned up and pressed a lingering kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. She smiled as she felt his eyes looking down on her and squeezed his arm a little tighter.

"Merry Christmas, Edward."

_Like fresh plates and clean slates,_

_Our future is white._

_New Year's resolutions will reset tonight._

…

_.._

_._

**Merry Christmas! Or whatever else you enjoy celebrating. I hope you enjoyed my special present to all you wonderful people out there. I typically am not one for song fics, but Sleeping At Last's song **_**Snow **_**is one of the most poetically beautiful ones out there. Also, I like the idea that Edward is a pianist because of Corey Michael Smith's tweet about playing piano, and Auchen's fic, **_**Refrain**_**. I hope you enjoyed this little bit of Christmas fluff-turned one-shot.**


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